Coupang Inc Chairman Bomsuk Kim (김범석) apologised in his own voice at an official event for a personal data leak that occurred late last year. Kim previously released an apology statement on Dec. 28 over the large-scale leak, but this was his first time stating his position directly at an external event.

In a conference call on last year's earnings held on Wednesday local time, Kim said, "Before explaining fourth-quarter results, I would like to talk about the data security incident that occurred late last year." He added, "I apologise once again for the concern and inconvenience caused by this."

Kim said everything Coupang has achieved began with a single goal of "delivering a 'Wow' experience to customers." He stressed that customers are the only reason Coupang exists.

Kim also said the company does its best every day to earn customers' trust. "For Coupang, there is nothing more serious than failing to meet customers' expectations," he said, adding, "We know we must do better, and we will."

On the fourth quarter, Kim said it would be remembered as a challenging period for Coupang, customers and business partners alike. "I am very proud of our team's response," he said. "While strengthening our systems, we focused solely on customers and contained the data incident."

Harold Rogers, interim head of Coupang's South Korea unit, said on the conference call, "So far, no misuse of customer data related to this incident or the existence of leaked data has been found." He added that the Joint Investigation Unit, a government investigative body, and South Korea's National Police Agency had also not found evidence of secondary harm so far.

Rogers described the incident as a crime committed by a former employee against Coupang and its customers. "Some government agencies' investigations have concluded, but other investigations are still ongoing and additional probes could begin," he said. "It is too early to predict investigation results, the size of any fine or other measures. We will fully cooperate with government investigations."