A Coupang supply truck is parked on the agency’s logistics heart in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
The Truthful Commerce Fee (FTC) might quickly launch an investigation into Coupang’s large information leak scandal in coordination with a client safety company, as a whole lot of hundreds of affected customers put together to file a category motion lawsuit, its officers mentioned Wednesday.
The incident has escalated right into a full-blown social controversy after it was confirmed that the non-public information of roughly 33.7 million Coupang clients was leaked beginning in June.
The antitrust watchdog will not be the first authority dealing with the most recent scandal, however it signaled the potential of intervening after some victims filed for dispute decision with the Korea Shopper Company, a quasi-governmental group underneath the FTC.
“The FTC’s primary stance is that we are able to not directly look into the incident if the affected clients convey the case to the patron company,” an FTC official mentioned.
If the patron company requests help, the watchdog and the company will collectively launch an investigation into Coupang, in response to the official.
With the largest-ever information leak scandal exhibiting no indicators of abating, calls are rising for Coupang founder Kim Bom-suk, also called Bom Kim, to look publicly and take duty for the fiasco. Kim serves as chairman of Coupang Inc.’s board.
Coupang founder Bom Kim attends the Allen & Firm Solar Valley Convention in Idaho, July 8, 2022. Courtesy of Coupang
The FTC can not designate Kim because the authorized head of the conglomerate as a result of he’s a U.S. citizen, a scenario critics say permits him to evade obligation regardless of his important affect over the corporate’s administration.
One other official from the watchdog mentioned that nothing will change even when he’s designated because the authorized chief of the corporate.
“We designate authorized chiefs of every conglomerate yearly, however the FTC doesn’t have any rapid plans to designate the Coupang founder as there are not any authorized necessities for us to take action,” the official mentioned.
“Even when Kim is designated as Coupang’s authorized chief, nothing will change by way of laws affecting Kim.”
Consultants argue that Kim nonetheless bears ethical duty for the most recent information leak, given his immense affect over Coupang’s key choices and main administration actions.
“It’s not correct to say that he can evade the obligation for the info leak, as he’s a U.S. citizen,” mentioned Kim Dae-jong, a professor of enterprise administration at Sejong College.
“What the general public and clients demand for him is to take ethical and moral tasks for the most recent fiasco.”
Others mentioned Coupang’s executives and people in control of the incident must be held legally accountable.
“The purpose needs to be to take acceptable authorized measures towards these in control of the incident, relatively than emotionally responding to the scandal,” mentioned Choi June-sun, professor emeritus of legislation at Sungkyunkwan College.
