Archive · 1 Dec 2025
Coupang Investigated for Massive Data Breach
Coupang, a big online shopping company in South Korea, had a very big problem.
Someone stole information from about 33.7 million customer accounts.
This is a lot because South Korea has only about 51.7 million people.
The stolen information includes names, email addresses, phone numbers, and shipping addresses.
The company thinks a former employee from China did this.
They found out about the problem on November 18, but the stealing started much earlier on June 24.
Coupang is working with the police to fix the problem and make sure it doesn't happen again.
They also said they are sorry for what happened.
Coupang Inc. is being investigated for a data breach affecting 33.7 million accounts, potentially the largest in South Korea's history.
A Chinese national, previously employed by Coupang, is suspected of hacking personal information including names, email addresses, and phone numbers.
The breach was initially discovered on November 18, with unauthorized access dating back to June 24.
Coupang has blocked the unauthorized access, strengthened internal monitoring, and is cooperating with authorities.
This incident highlights rising cybersecurity risks in South Korea, following similar breaches at SK Telecom, KT Corp., and Lotte Card.
- Who
- Coupang Inc., a US-listed e-commerce giant in South Korea
- What
- A data breach exposing personal information of 33.7 million accounts
- When
- Unauthorized access began on June 24; discovered on November 18
- Where
- South Korea
- Why
- A suspected former employee from China allegedly hacked the data
- Company
- Coupang Inc.
- Number of Accounts Exposed
- 33.7 million
- Suspected Hacker
- Chinese national, former employee
- Initial Discovery Date
- November 18
- Unauthorized Access Start Date
- June 24
- Active Customers (Q3)
- 24.7 million
- Country
- South Korea
- Investigating Authorities
- Ministry of Science and ICT, Police
