[Editorial] Coupang Chairman Kim Refuses to Attend Hearing—He Must Not Evade Responsibility

Bom Kim, founder and Chairman of the Board at Coupang, Inc., has announced that he will not attend the hearing scheduled for the 17th by the Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee of the National Assembly. Former CEOs who have resigned or left the company have taken the same stance. Instead, Harold Rogers, the acting CEO of Coupang Korea, will appear at the hearing.
Since the Coupang data breach, Chairman Kim has not issued any apology or statement. To Korean users, his silence comes across as sheer arrogance. His reason is that he has 'official business commitments as the CEO of a global company.' But what CEO isn’t busy? What could be more important than this incident?
If he wishes to avoid criticism at the hearing, the least he could do is publicly express regret or apologize and personally present measures to prevent recurrence. After all, Coupang is a company that operates in Korea and profits from Korean customers.
Although Kim stepped down as a registered director of the Korean entity in 2021, he remains the de facto owner, holding 70% of the voting rights in Coupang, Inc. Even if he is not legally liable, he certainly bears moral responsibility. The first step in fulfilling this responsibility is to appear before the public, bow his head, and apologize. Next, he should attend the hearing to explain the causes and countermeasures.
The same applies to former CEOs. If they were in charge at the time of the incident, they are responsible for what happened. Not holding the position anymore does not absolve them of responsibility. In this context, any explanations or promises from Acting CEO Rogers will likely ring hollow. He cannot be expected to fully understand all the issues within Coupang Korea.
Kim is well aware that, as an American citizen residing in the United States, he cannot be compelled by Korean law. This is likely why he is stubbornly refusing to cooperate. After the Deokpyeong Logistics Center fire in 2021, Kim resigned as a registered director, clearly intending to avoid legal liability under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act in the event of similar incidents. He probably believes that resigning back then was the right move in light of this case.
However, even as an American, Kim cannot escape criminal liability. There is precedent in the case of Michael ByungJu Kim, Chairman of MBK Partners, who was banned from leaving Korea after entering the country on charges of fraud under the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act (FSCMA) and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes. Although he is also a U.S. citizen, he is under investigation in Korea for his alleged offenses. Therefore, authorities must explore every possible avenue to hold Chairman Kim legally accountable.
Although no clear evidence of secondary damage has yet emerged, Coupang customers remain anxious. Coupang must do its utmost to devise preventive measures, fully explain the incident to the National Assembly, and actively cooperate with the investigation. This is the minimum responsibility and duty the company owes to the public and its customers.