"I am deeply sorry for the concern that we have created for the Korean people,” Rogers said at a National Assembly hearing, pledging full cooperation with regulators and lawmakers. “We take this matter very seriously, and are working diligently to respond to your questions, the concerns of our regulators and those of our customers.”
Rogers said the breach did not require reporting under U.S. law, explaining that under U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules the incident was not deemed material enough to mandate disclosure. He added, however, that Coupang chose to disclose the incident due to public interest considerations.
The hearing followed Coupang’s late-November disclosure that personal data of more than 33 million customers had been compromised in a breach believed to have begun on June 24 through overseas servers. The company said it became aware of the incident on Nov. 18.
Rogers also addressed concerns over insider threats, noting that cybersecurity risks linked to internal access are challenges faced by many global companies, and said Coupang is working to strengthen safeguards.
Rogers, formerly Coupang’s chief administrative officer, was appointed interim head of Coupang’s South Korea unit after former CEO Park Dae-jun resigned earlier this month, taking responsibility for the incident.
On Dec. 10, Park said he was stepping down from all positions, citing “a strong sense of responsibility” for both the breach and the company’s handling of the matter.
Rogers is regarded as a close confidant of Coupang founder and chairman Bom Kim. A Harvard Law School graduate specializing in compliance and risk management, Rogers played a key role in ensuring Coupang met SEC disclosure requirements during its 2021 New York Stock Exchange listing.
This marks the first time since Coupang’s founding that an executive from its U.S. headquarters has been appointed CEO of the Korean subsidiary.
Chairman Kim did not attend the hearing, citing overseas business commitments as CEO of the global company. His absence prompted sharp criticism from lawmakers.
Rep. Choi Hyung-du of the ruling People Power Party said Kim’s failure to appear “mocks the public and delivers despair to global investors,” adding that even the heads of larger global firms such as Meta and Amazon have appeared before congressional hearings.
Lawmakers said they are preparing to file a complaint against Kim for allegedly violating a law that compels witnesses to attend parliamentary hearings, which carries penalties including fines or imprisonment for refusal to testify.
Opposition and minor-party lawmakers also took issue with Rogers’ responses. Reform Party lawmaker Lee Jun-seok criticized what he described as formulaic answers, noting that when asked why Kim did not attend, Rogers replied, “Happy to be here,” before reiterating his apology and willingness to answer questions as Coupang Korea’s representative.
Rep. Choi Hyung-du criticized what he called an attempt to “avoid responsibility” by presenting a foreign executive despite the chairman’s ability to explain matters in Korean.
As questioning continued, delays caused by cross-interpretation and repeated formal responses led some lawmakers to complain that interrogating foreign witnesses was inefficient.
* This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
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