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Coupang chief Bom Kim apologizes for data leak, but won't appear at parliamentary hearing

Published: 28 Dec. 2025, 14:07 Updated: 28 Dec. 2025, 17:30

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

Coupang founder and chairman Bom Kim [JOONGANG ILBO]

Coupang founder and chairman Bom Kim issued his first public apology on Sunday for a massive data breach that exposed the personal information of more than 33.7 million customers.

Kim apologized 29 days after the leak became public in November. His silence had drawn sharp criticism from lawmakers and the public, especially after he repeatedly refused to appear at parliamentary hearings.

“As Coupang's founder and chairman of the board, I offer my sincere apologies on behalf of all Coupang employees,” he said in a statement released Sunday afternoon. “I cannot help but feel devastated by the disappointment so many have experienced.”

Kim acknowledged that he waited too long to speak.

“My apology was overdue,” Kim said. “The failure to communicate clearly and directly from the outset of the incident has caused great frustration and disappointment. I sincerely apologize for our inadequate initial response and lack of communication immediately following the incident.”

Saying that he believed it was “best to communicate publicly and apologize only after all the facts were confirmed,” Kim said that “in retrospect, this was a poor decision.”

Despite the apology, Kim will not attend a two-day joint parliamentary hearing scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. Coupang’s former chief executive, Park Dae-jun, will appear instead, according to a company source.

A Coupang deliveryperson is seen moving packages at a warehouse in Seoul on Dec. 16.. [NEWS1]

Park will be joined by Harold Rogers, Coupang’s new interim CEO; Brett Matthes, chief information security officer; Kim Myung-gyu, head of Coupang Eats Service; and Lee Young-mok, Coupang vice president.

Park, who stepped down from his position as CEO of the Korean office of Coupang on Dec. 10 to take responsibility for the massive personal data breach, cited his departure as the reason he did not attend the Dec. 17 hearing despite a parliamentary summons.

In a written statement explaining his absence at the time, he said, “I am not in a position to represent Coupang’s stance, and I cannot attend due to health reasons.”

Rogers, an American, appeared at the Dec. 17 hearing in his place, but the hearing was marred by delays and repetitive answers, further fueling public frustration.

Park’s decision to appear at next week’s hearing is being seen as a response to growing criticism of Coupang’s leadership, especially with the founder's repeated refusal to attend hearings.

Former Coupang CEO Park Dae-jun speaks during a National Assembly hearing on the Coupang information data leak at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Dec. 2. [YONHAP]

Since resigning, Park has avoided public appearances, drawing attention to what position he may take at the upcoming hearing.

The Dec. 17 hearing by the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee relied heavily on testimony from Rogers and Matthes. However, language barriers hindered effective questioning, and Rogers’s lack of familiarity with the case — having only assumed his position a week prior — drew criticism.

Despite his apology on Sunday, the CEO once again submitted a statement declining to appear at the upcoming hearing.

“I am currently residing overseas and due to pre-existing plans on the dates of the hearing, I am unable to attend,” he wrote in the statement submitted to the National Assembly.

Vice President Yoo Kim, brother of the founder, also cited “overseas business engagements” as his reason for not attending.

Participants at a rally call for an apology from Coupang founder and Chairman Bom Kom and a government investigation into the Coupang information data leak at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Dec. 26. [NEWS1]

“The request is, of course, denied,” said Democratic Party Rep. Choi Min-hee, chair of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee of the National Assembly, in response. “This is absolutely unacceptable. The National Assembly will carry out its responsibilities.”

“A person is effectively dismissed over the data breach, and now the chairman and his brother refuse to appear while sending Park as a stand-in — it’s disgraceful,” one industry source said.

The upcoming hearing will be jointly held by six standing committees: the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee; the Political Affairs Committee; the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee; the Environment and Labor Committee; the Strategy and Finance Committee; and the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LIM JEONG-WON, LIM SUN-YOUNG [[email protected]]