Coupang’s compensation plan sidesteps data responsibility

A day before a National Assembly hearing scheduled for Dec. 30, Coupang announced a compensation plan on Dec. 29, offering 50,000 won per affected user in response to a massive personal data breach. The proposal immediately drew criticism for being merely symbolic, as the compensation would be provided in the form of vouchers usable only within the so-called Coupang ecosystem. Of the total amount, just 5,000 won could be spent freely on the Coupang platform.

According to the plan, the compensation consists of purchase vouchers with a nominal value of 50,000 won per person, though the amount cannot be used at the recipient’s discretion. Instead, it is divided into four one-time vouchers: 5,000 won applicable to all Coupang products, including Rocket Delivery and Rocket Direct Purchase; 5,000 won for Coupang Eats; 20,000 won for Coupang Travel services; and 20,000 won for Alux products. Each voucher is valid for a single use only.

Coupang’s compensation package amounts to a total of 1.685 trillion won, the largest ever announced by a South Korean company in response to a personal data breach. The sheer size of the figure, however, reflects the unprecedented scope of the incident, with an estimated 33.7 million users affected.

The Korea Consumer Organizations Association criticized the plan in a statement issued the same day, calling it “mocking consumers.” The group argued that the package was structured around benefits that encourage spending and therefore functioned less as compensation for violations of personal data rights than as a marketing strategy aimed at prompting additional purchases and re-enrollment.


남혜정 기자 namduck2@donga.com