South Korean authorities have imposed a record-breaking wonderful of $624 billion gained (over $400 million) on retail big Coupang after an information breach final yr compromised the private information of greater than 34 million clients.
Seoul’s Private Data Safety Fee issued the utmost penalty on Thursday following discovery of the breach in December 2025. The retail big, which is headquartered within the U.S. however fashionable in South Korea and likened to the “Amazon of Asia,” had mentioned the months-long information breach allowed a former worker to acquire names, electronic mail and delivery addresses, telephone numbers and order histories of about two-thirds of South Korea’s inhabitants.
Coupang instructed BBC News that it plans to problem the regulator’s determination. The wonderful represents a uncommon case of a monetary penalty issued towards a U.S.-based agency. Korean lawmakers have accused a few of their American counterparts of imposing political stress after reviews that U.S. representatives have been linking the info breach with U.S.-South Korean bilateral ties in response to the case towards Coupang’s executives.
U.S. firms hardly ever face monetary sanctions or felony prosecution for information breaches because of missing legal guidelines and enforcement powers.
