Coupang users quit platform over personal data breach

Office worker Jang Hae-rim, 29, canceled her Coupang membership in the morning of Dec. 1. She said she was disappointed that the company had not provided adequate follow-up measures or compensation after the personal information of 33.7 million members was leaked. "For the time being, I plan to buy ingredients from my local grocery store in the evenings and prepare my own meals," Jang said. "I do not think I will use Coupang again." She has used Coupang’s early-morning fresh food delivery service Rocket Fresh almost every day for the past four years.

Since the data breach, more users have been deciding to leave Coupang, a trend called “Tal-pang” (quitting Coupang), or switch to other platforms, known as “Gal-pang.” Choi, 63, a housewife in Yangcheon District, Seoul, began the withdrawal process on Nov. 30 at her children’s urging and is looking for an alternative e-commerce service. She expressed concern, saying, "It seems like the number of suspicious smishing messages has increased since the incident." Park, 33, who works in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo District, said, "I share my account with my family, and I am worried that not only my home address but also the common door password might have been leaked. I am considering leaving Coupang."

Posts confirming account cancellations have also begun appearing on online communities. On one forum, dozens of posts requested recommendations for alternative shopping platforms or commented, "I think I relied too much on Coupang until now."

Small business owners are also feeling the impact. Kim Ji-young, 57, who runs a Korean restaurant in Michuhol District, Incheon, said, "I usually bought items like ham, canned mackerel, disposable gloves, delivery plastic bags, and containers from Coupang. But because of concerns about data leaks, I do not plan to use it for the time being." Another small business owner added, "Running a store is busy enough, and now we have to either buy products from markets or switch shopping platforms entirely."

Meanwhile, Coupang has faced criticism for making its account cancellation process difficult to find. According to the company’s customer center, users must tap 'Edit Member Information' under 'My Coupang' in the mobile app and then select 'Go to PC version.' From there, users must complete identity verification, review their usage history, and answer a survey. The survey requires a mandatory open-ended response to the question, "What do you hope from Coupang?" In total, more than six steps must be completed to cancel an account, and Wow membership subscribers must cancel their membership first.

Lee, 55, a housewife in Songpa District, said, "Some say canceling now is pointless because the information was already compromised five months ago, but I felt better trying to leave, even at this point. Every time I pressed a button, another step appeared, and at the end, I had to write an open-ended comment. The process was very cumbersome."


소설희 기자 facthee@donga.com