A joint public-private probe into a major data breach case at the South Korean unit of U.S.-listed e-commerce giant Coupang Inc. has confirmed that over 33.6 million accounts have been exposed, the science ministry said Tuesday, suggesting the company may have sought to play down the incident by initially claiming only some 3,000 had been compromised.
The South Korean unit, Coupang Corp., also failed to promptly report the incident despite related regulations, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT.
The ministry said it will impose a fine on the company for the delayed report and pursue a formal investigation, stressing that the company has failed to preserve key evidence despite its earlier request.
The joint probe came after Coupang reported a massive data breach in November, in which personal information, including names, phone numbers, email addresses and delivery details, was exposed, apparently affecting nearly all of the company's user base.
Coupang, citing its own investigation, initially claimed that data from only 3,000 accounts had been leaked, drawing wide public criticism for making what the science ministry earlier called "ill-intended" unilateral and unfounded claims.
