South Korea: National Assembly set to file complaint against head of Coupang’s Korean unit over alleged perjury

Seoul, Dec 31 (IANS) The National Assembly is set to make a decision on Wednesday that would file a complaint against the interim chief of Coupang’s Korean unit over alleged perjury amid a parliamentary hearing into the online retailer’s massive data leak that affected nearly two-thirds of South Korea’s population.

The move comes a day after Harold Rogers, interim CEO of Coupang Corp., the online retailer’s Korean unit, claimed that the company conducted an internal probe into the massive data leak at the direction of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and that the spy agency instructed the company to get in touch with the person who leaked user information, Yonhap news agency reported.

The NIS denied giving such instructions, saying it has asked the Assembly to seek a complaint against Rogers for alleged perjury.

The decision on whether to move forward with the complaint will be made later in the day during the hearing, which will examine the company’s handling of personal data leaks, as well as alleged unfair practices.

The government reaffirmed Tuesday that the major data breach at the US-listed e-commerce giant affected 33 million customers in South Korea.

On Monday, the company announced a compensation plan after Coupang founder Kim Bom-suk issued his first public apology since the incident, but the move has sparked backlash from consumer rights groups, which criticized it as a marketing ploy aimed at boosting purchases and membership renewals.

int/rs