SMPA: "Too Early to Conclude on Secondary Damage from Coupang Data Leak...Situation Still Under Review"

[Financial News] The police have stated that it is difficult to definitively determine whether secondary damage has occurred in connection with the Coupang personal information leak, leaving open the possibility. As of last week, about 60% of the search and seizure at Coupang's headquarters had been completed.
At a regular briefing on the 15th, Park Jeong-bo, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA), explained, "Since the leaked data could be used for criminal purposes either in its original form or after being altered, it is too early to conclude whether secondary damage has occurred or not. We need to continue monitoring the situation."
This statement differs from the previous explanation by the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA), which said there was no evidence of additional damage caused by the misuse of leaked information. Park clarified, "When a related criminal is apprehended, only then will we be able to determine where the data was obtained. It is not easy to verify whether the information used in the crime was from the recently stolen data."
On this day, the police deployed an 11-member investigative team to conduct the sixth search and seizure at Coupang's headquarters in Songpa District, Seoul. By last weekend, approximately 60% of the search had been completed. The operation is expected to be finished as early as today or by tomorrow at the latest.
Commissioner Park noted, "The original data set is extremely large, so selectively conducting the search and extraction process is not simple." He added, "We also plan to examine whether there were any shortcomings on Coupang's part regarding personal information protection."
Regarding suspicions that Coupang was uncooperative with the search, Park stated, "On the first day, there were some disagreements about the scope of the search, but since then, necessary materials have been secured smoothly."
As for the former employee of Chinese nationality named as a suspect in the search warrant, Park took a cautious stance. He said, "It is not a situation where we can definitively call this person the perpetrator, but they are a prime suspect. Only after examining the seized materials and related individuals can we make a final determination."
Meanwhile, Coupang reported the personal data leak on November 18. Initially, Coupang stated that about 4,500 people were affected, but it was later revealed that the total number of compromised accounts reached 33.7 million.
jyseo@fnnews.com Seo Ji-yoon Reporter