Seoul: The founder of e-commerce giant Coupang Inc., Kim Bom-suk, has publicly apologized for a massive data breach that exposed the personal information of nearly two-thirds of South Korea's population. This marks Kim's first formal apology since the incident occurred.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim issued a written statement expressing his regret and taking responsibility for the data leak. "As the founder and the chairman of the board, I sincerely apologize on behalf of all the employees at Coupang," Kim stated. He acknowledged the frustration and disappointment caused by his failure to communicate effectively from the onset of the incident and admitted that his initial response was inadequate.

Kim explained that his apology was delayed because he initially intended to issue a formal apology only after all facts were confirmed. He conceded that this approach was a misjudgment. The apology comes about a month after personal data of approximately 34 million Coupang customers was leaked.

Coupang has since identified a former employee as the individual responsible for the breach. Using forensic evidence, the company recovered the hacking equipment and obtained a confession from the alleged hacker. However, the government has labeled Coupang's findings as a "unilateral claim" and noted that a joint public-private investigation has yet to release its findings.

Additionally, Kim cited a "prearranged schedule" for his non-appearance at a parliamentary hearing this week regarding the data breach.