The ‘Amazon of Korea’ Has a Big Problem
Hey everyone! So, there’s some major drama brewing with Coupang, which you probably know as the “Amazon of Korea.” Their founder and CEO, Bom Kim (his Korean name is Kim Bom-seok), was summoned to a parliamentary hearing here in Seoul. The reason? A massive personal data breach was disclosed last month where info from about 33.7 million customers—names, phone numbers, addresses—got leaked. That’s a huge deal, and naturally, the government wants answers from the person in charge.
But here’s the kicker: Kim has decided he’s not coming. He submitted a letter saying that as the CEO of a global company operating in 170 countries, he’s just too busy with his official business schedule to attend. As you can imagine, that excuse did not go over well at all.
“I’m a Global CEO, I’m Busy”
This isn’t the first time Bom Kim has skipped out on a government summons. In fact, reports say he hasn’t shown up to a single one in the last 10 years, often citing reasons like being overseas. This latest refusal has lawmakers from both sides of the aisle furious. The committee chairwoman, Choi Min-hee, publicly stated that his reason was “irresponsible” and unacceptable, vowing to hold him accountable.
The issue is amplified by the fact that Bom Kim is a Korean-American who was born in Seoul but became a U.S. citizen after his family moved. This has led to a growing sentiment here that he is leveraging his American citizenship to avoid the responsibilities that come with running one of Korea’s most influential companies. People are basically saying he’s happy to make his money in Korea but becomes an American when it’s time to face the music.
Why This Is a Huge Deal in Korea
In Korea, being called to a parliamentary audit or hearing (called ‘Gukjeong Gamsa’) is a serious matter. It’s a way for the government to hold powerful figures accountable, especially when something goes wrong on a national scale, like a massive data leak. For a CEO of his stature to repeatedly refuse to appear is seen as a sign of disrespect to the government and, by extension, the Korean people his company serves.
Adding to the frustration, two other former top executives from Coupang also submitted letters saying they wouldn’t attend the hearing. One said he was no longer with the company and the other said he had resigned before the incident, so he didn’t know the details. It looks like a coordinated effort to avoid responsibility, which is only making the public angrier.
What’s Next?
The parliamentary committee is not backing down, with lawmakers promising to explore legal consequences and even push for new legislation to prevent corporate executives from dodging their responsibilities like this in the future. While it’s hard to physically compel someone living abroad to show up, the damage to Coupang’s brand image is already happening. The company is facing a huge backlash for what many see as an arrogant and evasive response to a serious security failure. We’ll have to wait and see what happens on the 17th, but it’s clear this saga is far from over!
