Coupang Inc., the New York-listed e-commerce giant, is facing a planned federal class-action lawsuit in the United States following a massive data breach in South Korea that exposed the personal information of about 33.7 million users.
The suit will be filed in New York federal court against Coupang’s Delaware-incorporated parent company, underscoring how the fallout from the breach is crossing into U.S. legal territory.
While several group lawsuits are being organized in South Korea, the U.S. action targets the publicly traded parent under American jurisdiction, where potential damages can be substantially higher.
SJKP, the U.S. affiliate of South Korean law firm Daeryun, said it will lead the class action seeking punitive damages from Coupang Inc., which wholly owns the Korean operating subsidiary.
The firm announced the move in Manhattan, framing it as an effort to hold the parent company accountable under U.S. corporate liability standards.
Legal experts note the contrast between U.S. and South Korean compensation precedents. In past U.S. cases such as the T-Mobile and Equifax breaches, some plaintiffs received individual compensations as high as $25,000. In South Korea, court-awarded damages for data breaches have typically been capped at around $67 per person.
The U.S. lawsuit is expected to include about 160 foreign plaintiffs, among them U.S. military personnel stationed in South Korea, their families and American students in the country—a factor that strengthens the jurisdictional argument for a U.S. filing.
Daeryun managing partner Kim Kuk-il said the complaint will allege failures in corporate governance and risk management, and is slated to be filed this month.
Plaintiffs who have joined Korean suits may also participate in the U.S. action without additional upfront fees, the firm added.
In a separate development, Coupang disclosed that CEO Park Dae-joon resigned on Dec. 10. Harold Rogers, the company’s chief administrative officer and general counsel, was named interim CEO.
