Political Affairs Committee Considers Filing Complaint Against Coupang Chairman Bom Kim... Government Stresses Punitive Damages

Park Daejun Appears in Place of Chairman Bom Kim
Political Affairs Committee Members: "Black-haired Foreigner, No Accountability"
Government: "Efforts to Prevent Secondary Damages, Enhance Effectiveness of Punitive Damages"

There have been calls within the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee to consider filing a complaint against Bom Kim, Chairman of the Board of Coupang Inc., for his repeated absences from the National Assembly's audits and special inquiries, citing reasons such as staying overseas.

Yoon Han-hong, a member of the People Power Party and chairman of the Political Affairs Committee, stated during a special inquiry on Coupang's personal information leak held at the National Assembly on the afternoon of December 3, "We requested Chairman Bom Kim to attend the committee, but he did not participate. As chairman, I express my strong regret."

Coupang explained that Chairman Kim was absent due to being overseas, but committee members criticized this and argued that a formal complaint should be considered. Shin Jang-sik, a lawmaker from the Innovation Party for the Homeland, said during a special inquiry at the Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee, "CEO Daejun Park of Coupang says the incident occurred at the Korean entity and that he is responsible, but Chairman Kim holds more than 74% of the voting rights in Coupang Inc., which owns 100% of Coupang Korea, and 90% of Coupang's total revenue is generated in Korea. Yet, Chairman Kim, citing his U.S. citizenship and the fact that Coupang Inc. is listed in the United States, is not responding to the National Assembly's summons. He also failed to attend the National Assembly audit this year, again citing overseas travel. I believe a formal complaint should be filed."

Kang Min-guk, another People Power Party lawmaker, criticized, "Chairman Bom Kim is a so-called 'black-haired foreigner.' As an American, he profits from Korea by utilizing Korean infrastructure and the personal information of Korean citizens, but takes no responsibility for information leaks that occur in Korea." Lee Heon-seung, also of the People Power Party, pointed out, "Chairman Kim was summoned twice as a witness to the National Assembly audit but did not appear either time. The committee is considering filing a complaint, so why does he continue to refuse to appear?"

When CEO Park stated that he had not met Chairman Kim in Korea even once this year, Representative Lee pressed further, asking, "Does he not come to Korea for even a week out of the entire year?"

On the 3rd, a special inquiry regarding Coupang's personal information leak is being held at the National Assembly's Judiciary Committee. December 3, 2025 Photo by Kim Hyunmin

There was also criticism that the recent leak of over 30 million customers' personal information from Coupang was a "foreseeable accident." Representative Lee pointed out that Coupang failed to introduce passkeys meeting global standards in Korea, stating, "Coupang in Taiwan developed and implemented passkeys that meet global standards, but this was not done in Korea." In response, CEO Park explained, "We will review measures to ensure that passkeys can be introduced in Korea as soon as possible."

Song Kyunghee, Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission, attended the inquiry and stated, "As the authority responsible for personal information, the commission takes the Coupang personal information leak very seriously. We will promptly ascertain the facts and do our utmost to prevent further damage. We will cooperate with the Ministry of Science and ICT, the National Police Agency, and other relevant agencies to prevent secondary damages such as smishing. We will also seek ways to enhance the effectiveness of punitive damages systems."

Kim Hyunjung, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, raised concerns about Coupang's "One ID" policy, which automatically enrolls users in Coupang Pay upon signing up for Coupang, stating, "This effectively leaves the door open for access to Coupang Pay. It is essential to verify whether any financial incidents have occurred." In response, Lee Chanjin, Governor of the Financial Supervisory Service, explained, "With regard to the One ID policy, Coupang and Coupang Pay are using the platform based on a prior agreement. Only Coupang Pay is registered as an electronic financial business operator, so there are regulatory limitations." He added, "Yesterday, we conducted an on-site inspection of Coupang Pay, and as soon as the findings are confirmed, we will determine whether to proceed with an official investigation and will respond proactively." Yoon Changryeol, Minister of Government Policy Coordination, also expressed his intention to consider including the Financial Supervisory Service in the government's joint investigation team to enable a thorough review of information related to Coupang.

Daejun Park, CEO of Coupang, is attending the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee on the 3rd to respond to lawmakers' inquiries regarding Coupang's personal information leak. 2025.12.3 Photo by Hyunmin Kim

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.