On Monday, Koupang, Korea’s electric power giant, announced that it would compensate each user for the recent massive data leaks with a voucher worth 50,000 won (approximately $35). The way in which the company had dealt with the incident had previously generated much criticism.
According to the bulletin, the compensation plan will cover all of the 3.3 million accounts that were notified of the data leak last month, including the Coupang Wow-paying members and non-subscribers, and even those whose accounts have been cancelled, and the vouchers will be split into several parts: Coupang distribution, Coupang directs, sellers’ distribution and platform market General $ 5,000 Korean Won; Coupang Eats out-sale service of $ 5,000 Korean Won; Coupang Travel tourism service of $20,000 Korean Won; under the banner of Luxury Business City R.LUX dedicated 20,000 won. Coupang indicated that the total amount of compensation amounted to 1,685 trillion won (approximately $1.17 billion) and that the rules for its use would be published separately. Eligible users can search for coupons through the Coupang application as of 15 January 2026 and receive text messages using the guide. In his statement, Coupang’s agent CEO Harold Rogers apologized: “We reflect deeply on the concern and distress caused by this data leak. This compensation scheme is based on a client’s position of responsibility.” He committed himself to placing clients at the heart of his business, “taking full responsibility and striving to become a trusted business”.
However, immediately after the programme was announced, critics pointed out that only 5,000 won could be used for the Coupang main electric power platform, and that the remainder was limited to high-consumption scenarios such as luxury goods, tourism and the like, questioning their intention to stimulate additional consumption. One Wow member said: “The very few users who use R.LUX are absurd to limit compensation for the consumption scene. I didn’t care. I decided to join the class action now.” Some users see this as a means of attracting old users back: “If Coupang thoroughly investigates and takes serious responsibility, I would have considered returning. But it’s more like an act of retrieving a face. It’s a face-to-face attack on a faithful user.” Experts found it difficult to rebuild consumer trust. Li Eun-hee, Honorary Professor of Consumer Science at In Ha University, stated: “It is not appropriate to limit compensation to services that are not commonly used by the public. From a consumer perspective, it’s more like a promotional material or a marketing strategy.”
On the same day, the Korean Government convened a meeting of the Coupang Task Force, which was warned by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science, Technology and Information and Communication, Bae Kyung-hoon: “Coupan leaks over 30 million domestic user data in clear violation of Korean law. In the event of a finding of a violation of the law, the Government shall also impose severe penalties in accordance with the law.” The task force will coordinate joint investigations by a number of agencies, including the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Police Office, the Committee for the Protection of Personal Information and the Committee on Finance, including the cause of the leak, the size of the data and the analysis of the seizure of evidence, and will seek international cooperation to prosecute them. The Fair Trading Commission will assess whether there is an illegal use of personal information and whether the Coupang response adequately compensates for consumer losses as a basis for a closure. The Ministry of Employment and Labour will examine the night-time working conditions in Coupang and the system of health protection for employees.
