South Korea police raid e-commerce giant Coupang over data leak

South Korea police raided Coupang’s Seoul headquarters in a “search and seizure” operation as part of an investigation into a data leak that is believed to have affected almost two-thirds of the country’s population. Seventeen officers from the cyber investigation unit were deployed, with law enforcement saying they would comprehensively investigate based on the evidence obtained.

The leak reportedly occurred through Coupang’s overseas servers from June 24 to November 8, prompting swift action from government officials already calling for accountability. The Korea Times reports that Coupang founder and Chairman Kim Bom-suk, also known as Bom Kim, will be summoned as the key witness at a December 17 hearing, with a total of nine witnesses and five expert witnesses expected to testify.

According to The Korea Times, the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee approved the hearing after deeming Coupang’s initial emergency questioning on December 2 insufficient.