Seoul: U.S.-listed e-commerce giant Coupang Inc. announced on Saturday that personal information from 33.7 million customer accounts has been exposed, a figure significantly higher than the initially estimated 4,500 accounts believed to be affected.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the updated numbers indicate that nearly all Coupang customers might have had their personal data, including names, phone numbers, email addresses, and delivery addresses, compromised. Despite the breach, Coupang assured that payment information, credit card numbers, and login credentials remained secure.

Unauthorized access to delivery-related personal information for the affected accounts reportedly occurred via overseas servers starting June 24. Coupang confirmed that the access route has since been blocked and internal monitoring measures have been strengthened. The company is actively conducting a joint investigation with security experts and is working closely with law enforcement and regulatory authorities.

Coupang issued an apology for the incident and advised customers to be vigilant against potential scams or communications impersonating the company. The extent of the breach is alarming, given that active users in Coupang's Product Commerce division, which includes its delivery service, reached 24.7 million in the third quarter, suggesting that nearly the entire user base may have been affected.

On November 20, Coupang initially reported a data breach affecting about 4,500 customers, stating at that time that there was no evidence of unauthorized access to payment information or any intrusion into its systems or internal network.