The National Intelligence Service (NIS) has officially refuted claims made in a report by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee regarding Coupang, stating that the information related to the NIS is inaccurate.
In a statement released on July 2, the NIS asserted, "There have been no instructions, orders, or coercion directed at Coupang regarding the 'incident investigation' mentioned in the report," emphasizing that the related content is false.
The NIS explained that, under Article 4 of the NIS Act, it assessed a large-scale personal data breach by a foreign entity as a national security threat and engaged in operational discussions with Coupang to collect information and prevent further damage.
The agency stressed that Coupang's claim of conducting an investigation under NIS directives was misleading, stating, "The discussions were aimed at sharing necessary information related to the large-scale data breach, and the materials provided were already part of what Coupang had submitted to the police."
The NIS also noted that when Coupang expressed a desire to contact the leaker directly on December 6 of last year, it reiterated that "the final decision should be made by Coupang."
Additionally, the NIS denied claims that it suggested selecting a domestic cybersecurity firm for data analysis on December 9, asserting, "Coupang requested an introduction to a domestic firm due to delays in responses from a U.S. company, and we merely provided general information."
The agency refuted allegations that it led efforts to recover IT equipment held by the leaker who fled to China, stating that no one, including operational staff, was aware of the existence of the equipment until a request for domestic transport support was received from another government agency.
The NIS explained, "Considering the possibility that personal data of over 33 million citizens was stored, we supported the domestic transport to prevent the equipment from being lost or seized," and emphasized that Coupang's claims that these actions were conducted under NIS orders are clearly false.
The NIS expressed regret over Coupang's unilateral false claims and stated, "We will continue to actively cooperate in activities aimed at uncovering the truth."
Previously, in December of last year, the NIS had also stated that it had not issued any directives to Coupang. During a parliamentary hearing that month, the NIS requested the National Assembly to file charges of perjury against Coupang's CEO, who claimed that the NIS had directed an investigation, and the police are currently investigating the perjury allegations.
Meanwhile, Coupang reported a personal data breach affecting approximately 33.7 million individuals, which was discovered last year due to a former employee. The Personal Information Protection Commission concluded its investigation into the Coupang breach in May, and during a meeting last month, it deliberated and decided on sanctions, resulting in a record fine of 624.68 billion won against Coupang.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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