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Korea Rejects One-Sided U.S. Report on Coupang
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Korea Rejects One-Sided U.S. Report on Coupang
South Korea's government rejected a new report from U.S. lawmakers about Coupang.
The report says Korea is unfairly attacking the company,
but Korea says this is completely untrue.
This conflict began after a massive data breach affected 33.7 million customers.
A former worker stole the data, and Korea says Coupang hid the truth.
Coupang told the U.S. that only 3,000 people were affected by the leak.
However, Korea found that almost every registered user's data was actually stolen.
So the government gave Coupang a record fine of 625 billion won.
That is about 450 million dollars.
The U.S. report calls these investigations 'harassment' against an American business.
But Korea says the report is one-sided and ignores Coupang's legal mistakes.
In early 2026, Coupang doubled its spending to lobby U.S. politicians for help.
They are trying to turn a business mistake into a fight between countries.
Korean officials say they treat all companies fairly, regardless of their nationality.
They now plan to give the U.S. Congress the accurate facts.
Korea wants to make sure this business problem does not damage their alliance.
Quiz 🧠
Q1. Hiding a major customer data leak can lead to heavy government fines.
Show answer
✅ True
Governments protect customer privacy. When businesses hide big data leaks, they face serious legal penalties.
Q2. What does 'lobby' mean in 'lobby politicians for help'?
Show answer
✅ influence leaders
To lobby means to talk to lawmakers and persuade them to support your side.
Q3. Why do global companies lobby lawmakers when facing foreign fines?
Show answer
✅ To get political support
Companies often ask their home government for help to reduce pressure from foreign legal problems.
Dialogue 🎧
Michael: Sophia, did you see the news about Coupang? It looks like a total mess.
Sophia: You mean the massive data breach in South Korea? It is all over the papers there.
Michael: Yeah, they say 33.7 million people had their data stolen! That is a giant number.
Sophia: That is basically every registered user in the whole country. It is truly terrifying.
Michael: A former worker of Chinese nationality stole it from the main server.
Sophia: And he was doing it for six months without anyone knowing! That is insane.
Michael: Seriously? That is a huge security failure. I would be so angry.
Sophia: Exactly, and then Coupang tried to say only 3,000 people were affected.
Michael: But Korea found that almost every user's data was actually stolen. They hid it.
Sophia: No way! That is a massive jump from 3,000 to 33 million.
Michael: Right, so the Korean government gave them a record fine of 625 billion won.
Sophia: That is about 450 million dollars! It is a record-breaking penalty.
Michael: Ouch, that has got to hurt their bank account. I would be furious too.
Sophia: Now the U.S. government is getting involved. U.S. lawmakers released a big report.
Michael: Why would American politicians care about a Korean data leak? That seems strange.
Sophia: Well, Coupang is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. They call themselves American.
Michael: So they are calling the investigation harassment against an American business.
Sophia: Korea says that is untrue. They say they treat all companies fairly regardless of nationality.
Michael: Coupang actually doubled its spending to lobby U.S. politicians recently.
Sophia: They are trying to turn a business mistake into a fight between countries.
Michael: That feels like they are hiding behind the U.S.-Korea alliance. It is very dramatic.
Sophia: Korean officials plan to send the accurate facts to the U.S. Congress soon.
Michael: I hope it does not damage the friendship between the two nations. We need them.
Sophia: Me too. This should be about legal mistakes, not international politics.