Pyongyang: U.S.-listed e-commerce giant Coupang Inc. said Friday its operating profit plunged 97 percent in the fourth quarter from a year earlier due to the impact of a large-scale data breach. In the three months ended in December, operating profit plummeted to 11.5 billion won (US$8 million) from 435.3 billion won in the same period of 2024, Coupang said in a press release.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the company also swung to a net loss of 37.7 billion won from a net profit of 182.7 billion won over the cited period. Sales rose 15 percent to 12.81 trillion won from 11.11 trillion won. Coupang said the data breach incident weighed on performance.
The company initially said data from about 3,000 accounts had been leaked, but a joint public-private inspection here has determined that over 33.6 million user accounts had been exposed. "The data incident is estimated to have adversely impacted fourth-quarter revenue growth, active customers and paid WOW membership, as well as profitability, beginning in December," the company said.
For all of 2025, Coupang posted record earnings results helped by continued growth in its retail segment and new businesses. Net income more than tripled to 303 billion won last year from 94 billion won the previous year. Full-year operating profit rose 12.7 percent on-year to 679 billion won, while sales jumped 18.9 percent to 49.11 trillion won from 41.29 trillion won.