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Civic groups urge probe of unauthorized payments potentially linked to Coupang breach

Published: 23 Feb. 2026, 18:58

The Coupang logo is seen outside a Coupang logistics center in Seoul on Feb. 11. [YONHAP]

Civic groups have asked police to investigate alleged unauthorized payments potentially linked to Coupang’s large-scale personal data breach, urging further scrutiny of the possibility that payment information was leaked.

The People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) and Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun) referred one of seven reported unauthorized payment cases to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the civic groups said Monday. The case involved a complainant who requested a formal investigation and submitted supporting evidence, the groups said.

The two groups operated a damage report center for one month from Dec. 4 last year to Jan. 4 this year.

A victim surnamed Kim claimed that a 281,400 won ($195) radio-controlled airplane was charged to Kim’s credit card without their knowing at 9:22 a.m. on Dec. 27 last year, according to the investigation request.

The transaction occurred while Kim was asleep, and there was no reason to purchase the item, Kim argued. The payment was canceled after Kim contacted Coupang. Kim said no explanation was given regarding how the charge occurred or whether card information had been leaked.

Six additional reports were received, the PSPD and Minbyun said. They included cases in which a credit card used only on Coupang was repeatedly charged and refunded 11 times on an overseas open market platform, and cases in which unordered products were charged and delivered.

Delivery trucks are seen parked outside a Coupang logistics center in Seoul on Feb. 11. [YONHAP]

Multiple reports of stolen personal customs clearance codes and unauthorized payments have raised suspicions that payment information may have been compromised, the civic groups said.

Coupang previously stated that no payment information, including card or bank account numbers, and no personal customs clearance codes were leaked in the breach. A joint public-private investigation team said on Feb. 10 that it had not confirmed any leakage of payment information.

“Coupang must establish compensation measures and conduct additional investigations into whether payment information was exposed,” the two civic groups said.

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 JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]