The Personal Information Protection Commission imposed the largest-ever fine for a single data breach in June
Coupang Inc has filed a lawsuit challenging a fine of around 620 billion won ($447 million) — the largest ever imposed for a single personal data breach in South Korea.
According to legal sources, Coupang filed two separate administrative lawsuits Wednesday at the Seoul Administrative Court against the Personal Information Protection Commission, seeking to overturn the fine. The suits target two penalties the commission approved in June: 423.5 billion won tied to a personal data breach and 201.1 billion won for the unauthorized collection of online activity records from more than 10 million members — totaling 624.6 billion won.
The combined fine is also the largest ever levied against a single company for multiple privacy violations. Along with the lawsuits, Coupang applied for a stay of enforcement to suspend the penalties while litigation proceeds. The commission determined that Coupang failed to maintain basic security measures — including proper management of authentication signing keys and access controls — leading to the data leak.
In response, Coupang said it "regrets that the proactive measures taken to prevent secondary damage from last year's data breach, and the explanations based on clear facts, were not sufficiently reflected in the commission's decision," adding that it "hopes the facts will be clearly established through legal proceedings."
kty@heraldcorp.com
