Coupang Ordered to Pay $75 Per Customer for Data Leak

South Korea's Consumer Dispute Resolution Committee has ordered e-commerce giant Coupang to pay 100,000 won to each affected customer following a significant personal data breach. This decision represents a landmark ruling, marking the first instance where Coupang has been held legally responsible for damages stemming from a personal information leak.

The committee's ruling came after 50 consumers filed a collective dispute resolution request concerning the data breach incident that occurred last year. In its deliberation, the committee acknowledged that the leaked information included not only basic personal details like names and email addresses but also sensitive data such as apartment complex passwords and customer order histories. The potential for this information to be misused was further highlighted by hackers directly emailing some customers about the breach.

While Coupang has asserted that no further data leakage is occurring, the committee found this claim difficult to definitively confirm. Consequently, they determined that Coupang bears responsibility for the emotional distress caused to consumers. The committee's decision to award 100,000 won in damages aligns with typical court precedents for similar large-scale personal information breaches, taking into account the extent of the leaked data and the potential for its exploitation.