Seoul, Korea, South January 17, 2026 --(PR.com)-- Global Affairs Lab, an international affairs research institute, has released an analysis of South Korea’s personal data protection measures following a recent large-scale data breach at Coupang. The incident, which involved the exposure of 33.7 million personal data records and affected more than 70 percent of the country’s population, has drawn significant international attention.

Global Affairs Lab examined the case from the perspective of global data governance practices. The analysis focuses not on political or national considerations, but on how governments typically respond to large-scale data breaches across jurisdictions.

While some observers have raised concerns that South Korea’s actions may be discriminatory against foreign technology companies or politically motivated, Global Affairs Lab’s research finds such claims to be unfounded. Across major economies, enforcement measures following large-scale personal data breaches are generally determined by the scale and nature of the incident, rather than by the nationality of the company involved. Both the United States and South Korea adhere to this principle.

In the United States, data breach cases commonly result in financial penalties and mandates to strengthen security systems. These measures are typically based on factors such as the volume of data compromised and whether adequate safeguards were in place prior to the incident. Corporate nationality is not a determining factor. Instead, regulators assess how data was managed and the potential scope of harm to users. From this perspective, South Korea’s enforcement framework aligns with international practices that emphasize risk management and system resilience over corporate nationality.

South Korean authorities have consistently emphasized that the objective of their response to the data breach is not to punish past conduct, but to prevent similar incidents in the future. The core of the measures lies in strengthening data management frameworks and ensuring that large digital platforms maintain safeguards commensurate with the scale and sensitivity of the personal data they handle. This prevention-oriented approach is increasingly common in the global data regulatory environment, as regulators in multiple jurisdictions move toward risk-based oversight models that prioritize long-term compliance for platforms processing vast amounts of personal data.

The Coupang case, in which 33.7 million user accounts were compromised, can be understood within this broader regulatory trend. Rather than representing an exceptional or nationality-based action, it reflects the application of existing personal data protection standards to an incident that affected a substantial majority of the population.

According to Global Affairs Lab’s analysis, when personal data involving a significant portion of a country’s population is exposed, the issue extends beyond individual companies to concerns related to national data security and systemic risk.

About Global Affairs Lab
Global Affairs Lab is an international affairs research institute focusing on U.S.–Korea relations and Northeast Asian geopolitics.

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