Worries in Taiwan linger after Coupang leak hits Korea

Coupang’s sweeping data leak has laid bare what many call a double standard in its cybersecurity practices, in which the company prioritizes protections in Taiwan while leaving its core Korean market more vulnerable. While the data of millions of users in Korea was being exposed for months, Coupang’s Taiwan unit announced on Oct. 21 that it had introduced Fast Identity Online, branded as “Coupang Passkey,” a password-free login system using biometric verification. The company said the feature is

Dec. 4, 2025

Architecture dances to rhythm of music at Global Biz Forum

Architecture and music — one grounded in space, the other in sound — reveal surprising parallels through the insights of architect Hong Tae-sun, who explored their mutual roots in creativity at the eighth edition of the Global Biz Forum hosted by The Korea Herald and Herald Business. The Wednesday session, titled "BIG: Designing the Future," was held at the Prugio Summit Gallery in Gangnam, southern Seoul. “Both music and architecture involve the layering of multiple elements to create depth,” e

Dec. 4, 2025

Is Coupang too deeply embedded? Users conflicted over next steps

The fate of South Korea’s largest e-commerce platform, Coupang, hangs in the balance after a devastating data breach that exposed nearly all of its 33.7 million user accounts, a crisis of exceptional weight given how embedded the platform is in the daily lives of millions. There is outrage among the nearly three-quarters of the population affected by the cybersecurity lapse that led to the leakage of consumer data, including names, phone numbers, email addresses and shipping addresses. But many

Dec. 2, 2025

Coupang received threat emails ahead of massive data leak reveal

E-commerce giant Coupang received anonymous emails threatening to disclose a major data breach that compromised the personal information of 33.7 million users, police said Monday. Police confirmed that they have identified two separate email accounts used to send the messages, one to Coupang customers on Nov. 16 and another to the company’s customer service center last Tuesday. The emails reportedly claimed to possess customer data and warned that the breach would be made public unless Coupang i

Dec. 1, 2025

Ex-Coupang employee linked to breach handled access controls

A former employee who had worked in Coupang's authentication and access management systems reportedly leaked personal data by using internal access rights from outside the system after leaving the company. According to internal documents released Monday by Rep. Choi Min-hee, chair of the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, Coupang failed to revoke the access keys issued to the former employee, who allegedly used them to authenticate access tokens — digita

Dec. 1, 2025

Youngone heiress builds on father’s legacy in Busan lecture

Youngone Corp. Vice Chair Sung Rae-eun, the executive behind the global success of The North Face brand, headlined a special guest lecture hosted by the Busan Federation of Textile & Fashion Industry on Tuesday at the Busan Fashion Biz Center. The seminar, titled “Endless Lessons: From Experience to Management,” was part of the center’s broader effort to support successful startups and strengthen the capabilities of new designers in the region. Opening her talk by introducing herself as a “facto

Nov. 26, 2025

Winter in sight: Time to hit the slopes

This winter’s ski season has arrived earlier than usual in South Korea, with major resorts in Gangwon Province opening their slopes a week ahead of last year. A cold snap and favorable snow-making conditions led to the early start. Yongpyong Ski Resort and Phoenix Snow Park in Pyeongchang were the first to open on Friday, marking the start of the new ski season. Over the opening weekend, Yongpyong drew an estimated 5,500 visitors, while Phoenix attracted around 4,100, according to local reports.

Nov. 23, 2025

Korean dried seaweed exports top $1b on solid US demand

South Korea’s exports of dried seaweed products, known as "gim" in Korean, have surpassed the $1 billion mark for the first time amid rising global demand led by the US, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Sunday. As of Thursday, seaweed exports had risen 13.2 percent from the same period last year to $1.02 billion. Full-year seaweed exports have been on an upward climb, rising from $793 million in 2023 to $997 million in 2024. The United States was Korea’s top seaweed export destination,

Nov. 23, 2025

Nongshim taps third-generation heir as executive VP

Shin Sang-yeol, the third-generation heir of South Korean food and beverage giant Nongshim and head of the company’s future business division, has been promoted to executive vice president in a recent executive reshuffle, the company said Sunday. He is set to take on the role starting Jan. 1, 2026. Shin, the eldest son of Chair Shin Dong-won and grandson of the late founder Shin Choon-ho, joined Nongshim in 2019 and has since held key roles in corporate planning and procurement. He has led the c

Nov. 23, 2025

Costco tops Homeplus in sales amid warehouse retail boom

Costco Wholesale Korea surpassed 7 trillion won ($4.7 billion) in annual revenue for the first time, overtaking the nation’s No. 2 hypermarket, Homeplus, amid the growing popularity of warehouse-style formats. According to an audit report on Thursday, Costco Korea reported 7.32 trillion won in revenue for its latest fiscal year ending August, up 12.1 percent from a year earlier, while operating profit rose 16.5 percent to 254.5 billion won. Costco Korea has been on an upward revenue trajectory,

Nov. 20, 2025