Coupang Korea Chief Resigns Amid Mounting Outrage Over Massive Data Breach

The leadership crisis at Coupang deepened on Wednesday as Park Dae-jun, head of the South Korean arm of the e-commerce giant, stepped down following revelations of a major data breach that compromised the personal information of nearly 34 million users. His resignation comes at a time when public anger and regulatory scrutiny are intensifying, raising questions about the company’s security standards and crisis response.

According to internal company sources familiar with the matter, Park tendered his resignation during an emergency executive meeting held in Seoul, as pressure mounted from shareholders and government agencies demanding accountability for what has become one of the largest data breaches in South Korean e-commerce history. The breach, reported by South Korea’s cybersecurity authority earlier this week, exposed sensitive user data including names, contact details and purchase histories, sparking widespread concerns over digital privacy and online consumer safety.

Government officials have signalled that an extensive investigation is underway. According to investigators from the Ministry of Science and ICT, early findings suggest that the breach may have been caused by unauthorized access to Coupang’s internal servers, although they emphasized that the situation remains fluid and more details are expected in the coming days. Regulators have also warned that the company could face significant penalties if found negligent in its data protection obligations.

Coupang, often described as South Korea’s most influential online retailer, has issued multiple public statements attempting to reassure its customer base. The company said it is cooperating fully with authorities and has launched its own security audit to determine how the breach occurred. However, consumer rights groups argue that the company’s response has been insufficient. According to statements from several advocacy organisations, the scale of the breach highlights long-standing vulnerabilities in the nation’s rapidly growing e-commerce sector.

Park’s resignation is widely viewed as an effort to contain public fallout and restore confidence in Coupang’s leadership. Industry analysts, according to reports by local business media, believe the company must now undertake sweeping reforms to prevent future incidents and maintain its position in the competitive retail market.

With millions of customers demanding answers and regulators preparing tougher oversight, the incident marks a defining moment for Coupang’s operations in South Korea. The company’s next steps, observers say, will determine whether it can regain public trust after one of the largest data security failures in its history.