South Korea fines Coupang $400M for massive data breach affecting 34M customers

South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission fined Coupang over $400 million (624 billion won) for a data breach that exposed personal information of more than 34 million customers. The breach, discovered in December 2025, involved a former employee accessing names, emails, addresses, phone numbers, and order histories. Coupang, a U.S.-headquartered company popular in South Korea, plans to challenge the fine. This penalty is notable as U.S. companies rarely face such large fines for data breaches abroad, amid political tensions between U.S. and South Korean lawmakers.