Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung called Tuesday for strengthening penalties and implementing the punitive damages system in the event of data leaks similar to the massive breach at e-commerce giant Coupang. Lee issued the call during a Cabinet meeting days after the company said the personal information of nearly 34 million customers had been stolen, including names, addresses, and phone numbers. "We must swiftly determine the cause of the accident and strictly demand accountability," he said during the meeting at the presidential office, expressing shock that the company had been unaware of the breach for five months.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee gave a series of instructions to the government, including the full mobilization of available means to prevent secondary damage resulting from the leaked information. "We must use this opportunity to completely change the incorrect practice of carelessly regarding personal information protection," he said. In particular, he asked relevant ministries to devise effective measures to "strengthen penalties and actualize the punitive damages system" based on cases overseas. The punitive damages system is a legal mechanism that requires additional compensation beyond actual damages to punish the perpetrators and prevent a recurrence of the offense.

"I ask you to also swiftly draw up and implement a new digital security system of the level of a paradigm shift," Lee said. Police said Monday they are tracking down the suspect behind the data breach after securing the Internet Protocol (IP) address that was used. The breach began in June, and a former employee, a Chinese national who has since left South Korea, has been identified as the perpetrator, Coupang said. The company had initially reported a data breach affecting some 4,500 people.