Seoul: The presidential office convened an emergency ministerial-level meeting with government officials Thursday to discuss a recent data breach at e-commerce giant Coupang Inc., according to informed sources. Kim Yong-beom, presidential chief of staff for policy, presided over the meeting, attended by ministerial-level government officials, including the science minister and the personal information protection commission chair, as well as officials from investigative agencies, the sources said.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and officials from the National Security Office participated in the meeting, along with senior officials from the National Intelligence Service. This indicates they may look into Coupang's lobbying activities in the United States. An informed source emphasized the government's shared understanding of the breach's seriousness, noting the meeting's occurrence on a holiday underscores its significance.

Other sources close to the issue noted that President Lee Jae Myung's decision to hold the meeting on a holiday demonstrates his commitment to addressing the breach. During a briefing by the finance ministry on Dec. 11, President Lee criticized the U.S.-listed e-commerce company, stating, "Those people are not afraid of punishment at all."

Earlier in the day, Coupang announced it had recovered all leaked personal information involving approximately 3,000 customers, asserting that no data has been transferred outside the company. The company identified a former employee responsible for the data leak using forensic evidence, with the individual confessing and providing a detailed account of how customer information was accessed.

However, the government dismissed Coupang's announcement as a "unilateral claim," pointing out that the results of a private-government joint team's investigation into the data leak are still pending.