South Korean authorities have imposed a record-breaking fine of $624 billion won (over $400 million) on retail giant Coupang after a data breach last year compromised the personal data of more than 34 million customers.
Seoul’s Personal Information Protection Commission issued the maximum fine on Thursday after discovering the breach in december 2025. The retail giant, which is headquartered in the US but is popular in South Korea and has been compared to the “Amazon of Asia”, had said a months-long data breach had 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 told BBC News He plans to challenge the regulator’s decision. The fine represents a rare case of a financial penalty issued against a US-based firm. Korean MP is charged Some of their US counterparts faced political pressure after reports that US representatives were linking the data breach to US-South Korean bilateral relations in response to the case against Coupang executives.
US companies rarely face financial sanctions or criminal prosecution for data breaches as a result of a lack of laws and enforcement powers.
