Coupang, which was involved in a large-scale personal information leak incident, submitted a suspect’s laptop to the police without disclosing that it had conducted its own forensic investigation, it has been confirmed.
At a regular briefing on the 29th, Park Jeong-bo, the chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Department, stated that Coupang did not disclose the fact that it had performed a forensic analysis before voluntarily submitting the suspect’s laptop to the police.
Coupang had previously announced that it had identified a former employee responsible for the customer information leak internally and had retrieved the suspect’s laptop from a river using divers in China. The laptop was submitted to the police on the 21st, and during the process of providing information on how it was obtained, Coupang did not disclose that it had conducted its forensic investigation.
Chief Park called Coupang’s actions of contacting the suspect first, obtaining a confession, and conducting an internal forensic analysis of critical evidence “unusual.” He warned that if it is confirmed that Coupang submitted false or manipulated evidence, they would be held accountable, noting that charges could include obstruction of evidence or interference with official duties.
Regarding claims that Coupang coordinated with the National Intelligence Service (NIS) in contacting and retrieving the laptop from the suspect, Chief Park mentioned that there was no prior notification from either party. He added that if there were any illegal acts that hindered or disrupted the investigation, they would be held heavily accountable, although he refrained from commenting on the possibility of investigating the NIS.
The police are currently analyzing the suspect’s laptop, which was voluntarily submitted by Coupang, and the materials seized from Coupang’s headquarters. They plan to conduct an investigation of the suspect as soon as the analysis is complete.
Chief Park stated, “We need to analyze the seized items to understand the intrusion path and the scope of leaked data.” In response to criticisms that the investigation is slower than that of private companies, he added, “We are proceeding with the investigation according to the procedures stipulated by law.”