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South Korea’s leader instructed immediate measures to punish those accountable for a significant data breach at the e-commerce company Coupang, which impacted over 33 million users.

It was “surprising that the company didn’t detect the breach for five months,” President Lee Jae Myung stated, noting that the “extent of the damage is significant.”

Coupang is the leading e-commerce site in South Korea, offering rapid delivery of items ranging from food to electronic devices to millions of users.

Seoul mentioned that the data breach occurred via foreign servers between June 24 and November 8.

However, Coupang only learned about it last month, as reported by the police and local media, who stated that the company filed a complaint in November against the suspected individual — a former employee and a Chinese citizen.

On Tuesday, Lee instructed the government to “increase penalties and turn punitive damages into an actuality,” urging for “meaningful and effective responses.”

“The reason for the accident needs to be swiftly determined and (those responsible) should face strict responsibility,” he stated.

On Monday, the police stated they were tracking computer IP addresses and examining potential international cooperation as part of their inquiry.

They cautioned that the leak might “endanger the everyday lives and security of each individual citizen”.

Coupang has informed users that their names, email addresses, phone numbers, delivery addresses, and portions of their order records were disclosed in the breach.

However, the company stated that their payment information and login details remained unaffected.

The situation involves a significant data breach at South Korea’s leading mobile provider, SK Telecom, which received a penalty of approximately 134 billion won ($91 million) in August following a cyberattack that revealed information for almost 27 million users.

South Korea ranks among the most connected nations globally, yet it has also faced cyberattacks from its long-standing adversary, North Korea.

Last year, authorities revealed that cybercriminals from North Korea were responsible for stealing confidential information from a South Korean court’s computer system — such as people’s financial details — over the course of two years.

And in the previous month, Yonhap News Agency stated that South Korean officials believed a North Korean hacking group could be responsible for the recent cyberattack on the cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, resulting in the unauthorized withdrawal of 44.5 billion won in digital assets.