Coupang offers compensation to 33.7 million users over data breach

By Lee Hugh Posted : December 29, 2025, 10:07 Updated : December 29, 2025, 11:16
Yonhap
SEOUL, December 29 (AJP) - Coupang will compensate its users over a massive data breach, the e-commerce giant said on Monday.

Starting mid-January, the U.S.-listed company will distribute 1.68 trillion won (US$1.17 billion) in compensation, providing 50,000 won in purchase vouchers per person to paid Wow subscribers, regular users, and former customers who have closed their accounts.

The compensation plan comes a day after Coupang founder Kim Bom-suk issued his first public apology since the incident, which was revealed on Nov. 18 and involved the leak of sensitive personal information of around 33.7 million customers.

The U.S.-based founder apologized the previous day for his "overdue" response, saying he initially believed it was best to communicate only after all the facts were confirmed.

"In retrospect, this was a poor judgment. While Coupang worked tirelessly to resolve the situation, I should have expressed my deepest regrets and sincere apologies from the beginning. My heart has been heavy ever since I first learned of the data breach," Kim said.

Interim CEO Harold Rogers, who replaced former CEO Park Dae-jun following his resignation over the breach earlier this month, also said the compensation is a "responsible measure for our customers" and pledged that the company would "fulfill its responsibilities to the end" in a statement. "I once again deeply apologize to our customers," he added.

Those eligible for compensation will be notified via text message.

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