Chairman Kim Beom-seok, the founder and de facto leader of Coupang Inc., has stated he will not participate in a National Assembly hearing concerning the significant personal data breach at Coupang. In response, the Democratic Party of Korea has chosen to submit a complaint against Chairman Kim and advocate for a ‘national inquiry into Coupang’.
As per individuals aware of the situation, members of the Democratic Party in the National Assembly’s Committee on Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications convened on the 15th to discuss the Coupang incident and reached this conclusion. This comes after Chairman Kim had previously announced his absence from the Coupang hearing planned for the 17th at the SIBCC.
In a recent absence declaration submitted to the SIBCC, Chairman Kim mentioned, “I am currently living and working abroad,” and further noted, “As the CEO of a multinational corporation active in more than 170 countries globally, I have official commitments that prevent me from attending the hearing.”
Previous Coupang officials Park Dae-jun and Kang Han-seung, who were also called as witnesses with Chairman Kim, submitted statements indicating they would not attend. In reaction, Democratic Party Representative Choi Min-hee, head of the SIBCC, posted on her Facebook the day before, “As the SIBCC chairperson, I do not allow their absence,” and stated, “Alongside the SIBCC members, we will hold them responsible.”
The SIBCC believes that Chairman Kim, along with former representatives Park and Kang, lacks valid reasons for not attending and intends to refer the three to investigative bodies. Under the National Assembly Testimony and Appraisal Act, not showing up for a National Assembly request without just cause could lead to receiving a summons or facing criminal penalties. Nevertheless, issuing a summons is limited in the case of hearings.
A member of the Democratic Party from the SIBCC said, “If a national inquiry is initiated, it could lead to the issuance of a subpoena,” and further mentioned, “If Chairman Kim fails to appear at the hearing, we will establish the legal grounds for issuing a subpoena by starting a national investigation.”
It is also reported that the National Policy Committee is actively discussing the possibility of filing a complaint against Chairman Kim for breaching the National Assembly Testimony and Appraisal Act during its full meeting on the 17th. Chairman Kim missed two audits conducted by the National Policy Committee in October last year. At that time, he provided a statement explaining, “I was abroad and had prior confirmed international business plans, which made it impossible for me to attend.” Additionally, Chairman Kim did not show up for the urgent questioning session regarding the Coupang personal data leak organized by the National Policy Committee on the 3rd.
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