The Seoul Central District Court has initiated the first hearing for a compensation lawsuit filed by consumers against Coupang, stemming from a significant personal information leak that occurred last year. A total of 1998 victims are involved in this particular lawsuit, which is part of multiple class action suits prompted by the incident. The plaintiffs are claiming approximately 300,000 won (around 250 USD) each for mental distress and violation of safety measures by Coupang. They allege that the company has minimized the gravity of the information leak, which involved the exposure of basic personal data of around 33.67 million accounts and additional information including addresses and phone numbers of approximately 148.05 million accounts.

The plaintiffs are represented by the law firm Ji Hyang, which is currently handling a total of 23 cases involving 82,407 victims, indicating a broader trend of legal actions against Coupang regarding this issue. During the court proceedings, attorney Lee Eun-woo expressed concerns about the company's ongoing illegal activities that have compounded the initial harm. He highlighted that unlike other companies in South Korea that generally take responsibility and apologize for data breaches, Coupang has engaged in what can be perceived as cover-ups, deception, and even fraudulent promotions since the breach became public, which the plaintiffs argue necessitates additional accountability from the company regarding their ongoing malpractices.

Given that multiple other law firms are concurrently pursuing class action lawsuits for the same incident, it is expected that further trials and legal challenges against Coupang will continue. The implications of this case not only affect Coupang's financial standing but also resonate with broader issues of data privacy and corporate accountability in South Korea, raising questions on the standards of consumer protection and the obligations of large firms when handling sensitive information.