South Korea questions US stance on Coupang data leak, citing potential 'serious issue'

South Korea's presidential office has publicly questioned the United States' handling of a significant personal data leak involving the e-commerce giant Coupang. Satellite Rak, a senior official at the National Security Office, stated that a similar incident in the U.S. would undoubtedly be a major issue, particularly given that the whereabouts of the leaked data remain unknown.

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If a similar information leak had occurred in the United States, involving personal information of two-thirds of the U.S. population being leaked to China, and we didn't know where that information went, it would surely be a serious issue in the United States.

Rak's remarks were a direct response to a recent report by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. The committee's findings appeared to support Coupang's assertions that the company faces undue discrimination in South Korea. The presidential office highlighted that 33 million personal records managed by Coupang were leaked by a former Chinese employee.

"The perspective on this issue seems different between the company and our government," Rak noted, emphasizing that the leaked data might include information on American citizens residing in South Korea. He pointed out the lack of clarity regarding how the data has been used since the breach, stating, "We do not know where the leaked information has gone."

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The perspective on this issue seems different between the company and our government.

The South Korean government intends to conduct its own investigation into the matter. This situation underscores a potential divergence in how data privacy and security incidents are perceived and managed across different jurisdictions, particularly when involving international companies and cross-border data flows.

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There might be information on Americans living in Korea among the leaked data. But we have not yet confirmed how that information has been used since the leak. We do not know where the leaked information has gone.