Coupang, the South Korean e-commerce company, has experienced a significant decline in its share value, with a drop of over 60% since its highs last year. This comes amid a series of challenges, including substantial regulatory fines and a major data breach.
In 2024, the Korea Fair Trade Commission imposed a fine of 162.8 billion won (£92.4 million) on Coupang. The commission found that the company had manipulated search algorithms to favour its own private-label products over those from third-party merchants.
Further issues arose in 2025 with South Korea's largest data breach, which affected more than 33 million customers. This incident resulted in a 1.7 trillion won (£1.2 billion) customer-compensation programme, paid through platform credits and vouchers, and regulatory fines totalling £300 million for the breach and separate data-handling violations.
The financial impact is evident, with Coupang reporting a $160 million loss in the second quarter, even excluding the fines. Additionally, in April, South Korea designated Bom Kim as Coupang's controlling shareholder, which could subject the company to stricter regulations typically applied to conglomerates.