Coupang has stepped up compensation for consumers following a personal data leak. It remains unclear whether the fallout will be brought under control.

Coupang began issuing purchase vouchers worth a total of 50,000 won per person from the afternoon of Jan. 15 to 33.7 million customers who received data leak notifications, including Wow members, regular users and former members. The vouchers come in four types: Rocket Delivery (5,000 won), Coupang Eats (5,000 won), Coupang Travel (20,000 won) and Allux (20,000 won). It placed a banner 안내ing the voucher distribution in the spot where its earlier apology banner had been, so customers could immediately check whether they were eligible. The vouchers can be used until April 15.

When Coupang announced its compensation plan earlier, it faced criticism that it was using compensation as a pretext to encourage additional spending. Coupang is reported to have added about 700 leisure and ticket items priced at 20,000 won or less to the travel category in response to early criticism that it could be used only for expensive hotel bookings. For Rocket Delivery, there are 140,000 items priced at 5,000 won or less, allowing Wow members to order daily necessities without delivery fees.

After Coupang began issuing the coupons, posts such as "how to use Coupang's 50,000 won coupon" logged hundreds of thousands of views on social media including X. Users shared ways to stack discounts on global brand products on Allux by combining brand coupons and the compensation voucher, along with tips for buying gifticons or leisure tickets on Coupang Travel.

An official in the retail industry said, "Even amid critical public opinion, a value-for-money lineup that lets users feel real benefits is supporting a shift from consumer resistance to purchase desire."

Separate from the compensation plan, legal and institutional pressure on Coupang continues. Class-action lawsuits seeking damages are under way at home and abroad. The government is continuing a wide-ranging investigation through a joint task force involving relevant agencies including the Fair Trade Commission and the Personal Information Protection Commission.

Safe Coupang Making Joint Action, formed by 135 civic and labour groups, held a news conference on the morning of the coupon distribution and defined the compensation plan as "deceptive marketing". It launched a campaign urging people to withdraw from Coupang and refuse the vouchers. Cheolhoe Koo, head of external cooperation at the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions who is participating in the group, said, "If it is a structure where people must spend more money to use the coupon, consumer anger could grow." He said, "To resolve the situation and change Coupang, 33.7 million users must take action."