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Coupang Interim CEO Testifies Before House Judiciary Committee on Feb 23 Data Breach

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  • Harold Rogers, interim CEO of e-commerce giant Coupang Corp., walks to a House hearing at the Capitol in Washington on Feb. 23, 2026. (Yonhap)
    Harold Rogers, interim CEO of e-commerce giant Coupang Corp., walks to a House hearing at the Capitol in Washington on Feb. 23, 2026. (Yonhap)
    Image: Yonhap
    Harold Rogers, interim CEO of e-commerce giant Coupang Corp., walks to a House hearing at the Capitol in Washington on Feb. 23, 2026. (Yonhap) Source Full size

Harold Rogers Testifies at Closed‑Door Hearing On Feb 23 2026, Harold Rogers, interim CEO of Coupang, appeared before the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform and Antitrust Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee in Washington. The session was closed to the public and media, and Rogers declined to answer reporters’ questions about South Korean consumers. His appearance follows a subpoena issued by Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep. Scott Fitzgerald demanding testimony from the company [1].

Subpoena Issued by Republican Committee Leaders Rep. Jim Jordan (R‑OH) and Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R‑WI) authored the subpoena that compelled Coupang to appear before the committee. They criticized the South Korean government’s handling of American firms and framed the investigation as a matter of U.S. regulatory oversight. The subpoena underscores the committee’s intent to scrutinize the e‑commerce platform’s compliance with American data‑privacy laws [1].

Joint Probe Confirms Over 33.6 Million Accounts Compromised joint public‑private investigation earlier this year verified that the breach exposed personal data of more than 33.6 million customers. The leak originated in South Korea but affected the U.S.-listed subsidiary, bringing it under U.S. jurisdiction. Regulators cited the scale of the breach as a key factor in escalating congressional interest [1].

Coupang’s U.S. Listing Triggers Congressional Oversight Because Coupang trades on U.S. exchanges, it is subject to American regulatory scrutiny, including congressional hearings. The company’s dual presence in South Korea and the United States complicates its response strategy and public communications. Rogers’ silence on consumer concerns highlighted the firm’s limited public engagement during the investigation [1].

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Timeline

June 24, 2025 – Unauthorized access to delivery‑related personal data begins on overseas servers, later identified as the start of a breach that will eventually expose 33.7 million South Korean customers’ names, phone numbers, emails and addresses [29][30].

Nov 18, 2025 – Coupang discovers the breach and notifies authorities within two days, initially reporting only about 4,500 compromised accounts before realizing the scale is far larger [1][26][27].

Nov 30, 2025 – CEO Park Dae‑jun publicly apologizes, an emergency meeting chaired by Science Minister Bae Kyung‑hoon launches a joint investigation, and police identify a former Chinese employee as the likely insider suspect [26][27][28].

Dec 1, 2025 – Coupang discloses that 33.7 million customers are affected, prompting warnings that fines could reach up to 3 % of revenue (as seen in SK Telecom’s 134.8 billion‑won penalty for its April 2025 breach) and sparking industry‑wide security checks [24][23].

Dec 4, 2025 – The Korea Media Communications Commission opens a fact‑finding probe into Coupang’s account‑deletion process, alleging it may violate the Telecommunications Business Act [22].

Dec 7‑8, 2025 – A U.S. class‑action suit is filed in Seattle, seeking punitive damages for the same data breach that affected nearly the entire Korean user base [21].

Dec 9, 2025 – Seoul Metropolitan Police cyber unit raids Coupang’s Songpa headquarters, seizing internal documents to trace the leak and the IP address used [20].

Dec 10, 2025 – Police return for a second‑day raid, executing a search warrant that names the Chinese former employee as a suspect in violating the Information and Communications Network Act [19].

Dec 14, 2025 – Founder and board chair Kim Bom‑suk announces he will skip the upcoming National Assembly hearing, citing overseas commitments, while other senior executives also refuse to appear [18].

Dec 17, 2025 – Interim CEO Harold Rogers apologizes at a National Assembly hearing, acknowledges the breach affecting over 33 million customers, and says a compensation package will be assembled after the investigation [17].

Dec 18, 2025 – A pan‑government task force comprising the Ministry of Science & ICT, the Personal Information Protection Commission and police is formed to investigate the breach and consider sanctions, including possible suspension of Coupang’s operations [16].

Dec 25, 2025 – Coupang states that only data from about 3,000 accounts was saved and later deleted, asserts no external leak of payment information, and secures the hacked devices [15].

Dec 28, 2025 – Kim Bom‑suk again refuses to attend a parliamentary hearing, prompting Rep. Choi Min‑hee to publicly condemn the non‑appearance as unacceptable [14].

Dec 29, 2025 – Coupang unveils a 1.68‑trillion‑won compensation plan, granting each of the 33.7 million affected users 50,000 won in vouchers split across e‑commerce, Eats, travel and luxury services; founder Kim Bom‑suk issues his first public apology [12][13][2].

Jan 5, 2026 – Labor Minister Kim Young‑hoon questions whether Coupang can be “fixed” after the breach, while the Financial Supervisory Service launches a probe into Coupang Financial’s high‑interest loans (8.9‑18.9 % APR) amid the ongoing scandal [10][11].

Jan 8, 2026 – Seoul police issue a formal summons for interim CEO Harold Rogers to appear for questioning about the breach, its internal probe and alleged cover‑up of industrial‑accident data [9].

Jan 12, 2026 – Rogers misses the first summons; a second summons is issued, authorities consider an exit ban, and a special task force seeks to verify the truth of Rogers’ parliamentary testimony [8].

Jan 13, 2026 – Rep. Darrell Issa meets Trade Minister Yeo Han‑koo in Washington and warns that hostile actions toward U.S. firms like Coupang will have consequences, pledging congressional and executive support [7].

Jan 15, 2026 – Coupon‑level compensation vouchers begin distribution to current, Wow‑member and former customers, as outlined in the Dec 29 plan [12].

Jan 30, 2026 – Rogers appears before the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and is questioned about suspected evidence destruction and the authenticity of Coupang’s internal breach investigation [6].

Feb 6, 2026 – Rogers returns for a second police interview, this time under a perjury probe concerning his claim that the National Intelligence Service directed a laptop seizure; he pledges full cooperation but declines comment on the allegations [5].

Feb 23, 2026 – Rogers attends a closed‑door U.S. House Judiciary Committee hearing on the data breach, is subpoenaed by Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, and declines to answer reporters’ questions about South Korean consumers [3].

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