SEOUL, December 20 (AJP) -Ju Biung-ghi, chairman of South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission, said authorities are keeping open the possibility of slapping business suspension e-commerce giant Coupang following a large-scale leak of customer personal data.
Speaking on KBS’ “NewslineW" on Friday afternoon, Ju said the FTC is mobilizing “all available means,” including dispute mediation and support for consumer lawsuits, to assist those affected by the incident.
Ju’s remarks came amid renewed regulatory momentum at the FTC.
Earlier this week, he also signaled the watchdog’s intent to resume efforts to tighten regulations on monopolistic online platforms — an initiative that had stalled amid strong opposition from the United States ahead of the Korea–U.S. trade agreement finalized last month.
Regarded as a key architect of President Lee Jae Myung’s economic policy framework, Ju described Korea’s penalties for unfair business practices as relatively lenient. He voiced support for the president’s push to impose substantial fines on Coupang over the data breach, which affected nearly 34 million users.
Ju stressed, however, that enforcement steps would depend on the outcome of the investigation. Authorities must first determine whether the leaked consumer information was actually misused in online transactions and whether such misuse has caused — or could cause — financial harm.
“If consumer losses are confirmed, the FTC will demand that Coupang take steps to restore damages,” Ju said. Should the company fail to do so adequately, the commission could order a suspension of business operations. He added that if a suspension would result in greater harm to consumers, authorities could instead impose a penalty surcharge.
A joint investigation team comprising multiple government agencies is currently examining the case, Ju said, adding that “the top priority” is to clearly establish responsibility for the data breach.
Ju also addressed plans reported earlier in the day to President Lee to strengthen the FTC’s enforcement capacity. He said the commission would prepare measures to secure compulsory investigative powers, in line with the goal of making administrative sanctions more effective.
* This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
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