Seoul: E-commerce giant Coupang Inc. stated that the investigation into a former employee suspected of leaking customer data was conducted in close cooperation with the government. This announcement comes a day after the company revealed that its internal probe found no evidence of the stolen information being leaked to third parties.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Coupang's recent statement aims to address speculation that the company conducted an independent investigation without government oversight, raising concerns about the verification process. The company clarified that it acted under government guidance throughout the investigation process.
"The government advised us to contact the former employee on Dec. 9. Under the government's guidance, we delivered the former employee's desktop computer hard drive and laptop computer to police on Dec. 21. On Dec. 23, we submitted a report on our meetings with the individual and all evidence obtained during the investigation to the government," Coupang explained in a press release.
On Thursday, Coupang disclosed that it had identified the former employee responsible for the data leak using forensic evidence. The individual confessed and provided a detailed account of how the customer information was accessed. The suspect reportedly used stolen security keys to access basic customer information from nearly 34 million accounts, though data from only about 3,000 accounts was actually saved and later deleted.
Coupang assured that no customer data was shared with or transmitted to third parties. The company has secured all devices used to access and store customer information, including a hard drive.
The Ministry of Science and ICT previously referred to the company's announcement as a "unilateral claim," noting that a joint public-private investigation initiated last month has yet to release findings. The police confirmed there had been no prior contact or consultations with Coupang before Dec. 21. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's cyber investigation department is currently conducting a forensic examination of the laptop submitted by Coupang.