Seoul: The founder of e-commerce giant Coupang Inc., Kim Bom-suk, on Sunday apologized for a massive data breach, marking his first formal apology since the leak of personal information that affected nearly two-thirds of the population in South Korea. "As the founder and the chairman of the board, I sincerely apologize on behalf of all the employees at Coupang," Kim was quoted as saying in a written statement issued by the company.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim expressed regret for the frustration and disappointment caused by his failure to communicate effectively since the incident began. He acknowledged his inadequate initial response and the lack of communication, admitting that his apology was delayed because he wanted to confirm all facts before issuing it, which he now considers a "wrong judgment."

The data breach, which occurred about a month ago, exposed the personal information of approximately 34 million Coupang customers in South Korea. Coupang announced that it had identified the former employee responsible for the breach through forensic evidence, recovered the equipment used, and received a confession from the hacker. However, the government labeled Coupang's findings as a "unilateral claim," noting that a joint public-private investigation has yet to release any findings.

Kim also reiterated his non-appearance at a parliamentary hearing regarding the data breach, citing a "prearranged schedule." His brother, Yoo Kim, head of Coupang's global operational excellence, and Kang Han-seung, former CEO of Coupang's Korea unit, also indicated their non-appearance, according to Rep. Choi Min-hee of the ruling Democratic Party. Rep. Choi, who chairs the parliamentary Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, criticized Kim for avoiding the hearing, and lawmakers have threatened to file a complaint against him for his absence.