South Korean authorities have fined retail giant Coupang a record 624 billion won (more than $400 million) last year after more than 34 million customers’ personal information was stolen.
Seoul’s Personal Information Protection Commission issued the maximum penalty on Thursday after the breach was discovered In December 2025. The retail giant, headquartered in the United States but popular in South Korea and likened to the “Amazon of Asia,” said a months-long data breach allowed a former employee to obtain the names, email and shipping addresses, phone numbers and order histories of about two-thirds of South Korea’s population.
Coupang said BBC News plans to appeal the regulator’s decision. The fine represents a rare instance of a financial penalty imposed against a US-based firm. Korean MPs accused Some of its American counterparts have applied political pressure after reports that US officials linked the data breach to US-South Korea bilateral relations in response to the lawsuit against Coupang’s executives.
U.S. companies rarely face financial sanctions or criminal prosecution for data breaches due to a lack of laws and enforcement.
