'Welcome-Back' Coupons Instead of Compensation... “Coupang’s Unmatched Attitude Toward Its Customers” [Useful Issues]

[Financial News]#. Looking back, the hassle of rushing to SK Telecom stores during the SIM card hacking incident now seems almost appreciated. At least they replaced SIM cards for free to prevent further damage.On November 29, Coupang, the nation’s largest e-commerce company, announced the leak of 33.7 million customer records and then essentially went silent. All they did was send a single text message—using inappropriate language to affected customers—and post an apology on their website under the CEO’s name.
As concerns about secondary damage grow and some users begin to leave, Coupang continues to act as if the issue does not concern them.
The only time these voices were heard was during recent emergency hearings on the Coupang breach held by the Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee of the National Assembly and the National Policy Committee.


Coupang subscribers were thrown into chaos upon hearing the news of the data breach. Many posts read, 'Is everyone withdrawing? I’m so confused I don’t know what to do,' and 'When I contacted customer service, the agents all said the same thing, as if reading from a script.'
Currently, Coupang seems largely unconcerned about 'confused customers who don’t know what to do.' Online communities and open chat rooms on social networks, formed for class action lawsuits against Coupang, have criticized the company’s complacent attitude.
Even the 'Coupang Personal Information Leak Notification FAQ' posted on November 29 was unhelpful. First, users had to scroll all the way down to find the notice. The content itself was even less user-friendly, merely repeating the official statements in a Q&A format.
In particular, when asked about 'actions affected users should take,' Coupang responded, 'We have taken measures to prevent damage, so there is nothing further you need to do,' and 'We have confirmed that no payment or login information, such as card details or passwords, was leaked and that your data is securely protected.'
To the question, 'Is there a possibility of further damage?' Coupang replied, 'No secondary damage has been reported so far. However, please be cautious of any calls, texts, or other contacts impersonating Coupang that exploit this situation.'
They added, 'For further inquiries, please contact the Coupang customer center,' but also noted, 'Due to a surge in inquiries, connections may not be smooth.'
In contrast to Coupang’s nonchalant response, more and more suspected cases of damage are emerging.
A man in his 40s living in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, received a text on November 29 about a 3 million won card transaction he never made. The next day, after receiving a notification from Coupang about the data breach, he realized the card in question was registered with Coupang.

There were also accounts of people logging into their Coupang accounts from unknown phones or receiving text messages in foreign languages.
One user said, 'I’m in the US, but in November, there was a login record from an Android device in Korea that I don’t recognize.' Another posted a screenshot of a text message written in a foreign language.
There were also reports of smishing texts and phishing calls exploiting the Coupang incident.
On the 4th, a post titled 'Almost Fooled by a Coupang Smishing Attempt' appeared in an online community, showing a recruitment text message sent from Coupang’s main number.
The poster, identified as Mr. A, said, 'I wondered why Coupang was texting me in the middle of the night,' describing the situation when he received the message.
Afterward, Mr. A reported the incident to Coupang’s customer center and was advised, 'Do not click the URL, as it is identified as a phishing risk.' Coupang also requested a police investigation.


Worried about secondary damage, customers have taken it upon themselves to prevent further harm. In particular, open chat rooms have become de facto customer centers, filling a role Coupang itself does not.
For example, when someone asks, 'How do I delete my address registered with Coupang? Only address management appears,' another user responds, 'Click address management, then under your address, click edit, and at the bottom there’s a delete option.'
Users also suggested reissuing payment cards registered with Coupang or customs clearance numbers required for overseas purchases.
One netizen explained, 'I work at a card company. After traveling abroad, I stop using cards I used overseas and have them reissued due to concerns about illegal duplication. Coupang says payment information was not leaked, but I couldn’t be sure, so I suspended and reissued my card.'
Regarding customs clearance numbers, posts on SNS stated, 'If your customs clearance number, which is essential for overseas direct purchases, is leaked, it can be used for crimes,' and 'To prevent secondary damage from Coupang, it’s best to get a new customs clearance number.'
Users also shared their experiences. For example, to check if someone else has logged into your Coupang account, go to the security and login menu in the app’s settings to view access records. If you see a login you don’t recognize, you should log out.
Tips for gathering evidence for a class action lawsuit were also shared.
Another netizen said, 'You can submit the apology text, email, IP records, surge in spam texts/calls, account login history, reissued customs clearance number, and even a medical certificate for anxiety as supplementary evidence. When the National Intelligence Service’s computer system went down in September, customers seeking compensation from Korea Post also had to submit proof of actual damage.'
Some posts attracted attention for their creativity. One photo showed a person holding a note with the date written on it, taken in a location unmistakably in Korea, with Korean signs and buses in the background.
The poster explained, 'I saw a login record from another country. To prove I was in Korea and not abroad, I took a photo holding a note with the date.'
In the end, it is the affected customers who are taking the lead in everything from minimizing damage to seeking compensation.


Despite the data leak caused by Coupang’s poor management, the burden of damage has fallen squarely on customers.
Even reissuing customs clearance numbers was a challenge. With so many people trying to change their numbers, customers faced endless waits, and posts appeared online saying, 'The site is so slow when I try to change my customs clearance number,' and 'Is the server down? It won’t open.'
On the 2nd, so many people tried to change their customs clearance numbers that the UNIPASS website was temporarily inaccessible.
Customers who deleted cards registered with Coupang and received new ones also faced tedious tasks. They had to update all payment records linked to the deleted card, such as taxes or telecom bills, to the new card.
Even withdrawing from Coupang was a hassle. On the mobile app, users had to go through six steps: access the edit member information menu, switch to the PC version, re-enter their password, check usage history and forfeited benefits, and complete a written survey. Withdrawing from the Coupang Wow Membership was even more complicated.

In a bizarre twist, as users post photos proving they have successfully deleted their accounts, Coupang’s homepage displays a prominent ad offering coupons to returning or new members before login.
At the National Policy Committee, Kim Sang-hoon of the People Power Party asked Nam Dong-il, Vice Chairman of the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC), to 'thoroughly review whether there were any unfair practices in Coupang’s account withdrawal process and report back.'
Meanwhile, there are growing observations that the exodus of Coupang users is becoming a reality.
According to Mobile Index by IGAWorks, Coupang’s daily active users (DAU) on the 2nd stood at 17,804,511, a drop of more than 180,000 from the record 17,988,845 on the 1st.
It appears that the number of consumers accessing the app or website to find ways to withdraw from Coupang surged temporarily, then began to decline after four days.
Despite customers bearing all the responsibility and damage, Coupang remains silent. On the 2nd, when asked whether the company had a 'customer manual for minimizing damage,' Coupang did not provide a separate response.
Instead, they sent a text message stating, 'On the 2nd, CEO Park Dae-jun attended an emergency hearing of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee of the National Assembly and said, ‘We are preparing to send a more detailed notice and apology via email to those concerned about secondary damage who have contacted customer service.’”
As of the 6th, a week after the announcement in the National Assembly, no such notice had been issued.

y27k@fnnews.com Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter