Coupang founder may face entry ban for skipping Assembly hearings

A South Korean lawmaker has proposed a bill that would ban foreign nationals from entering the country if they refuse to attend National Assembly hearings without valid reasons.

The move follows repeated refusals by Coupang chairman Bom Kim, a US citizen, to appear before committees investigating a major data breach at the ecommerce company.

Coupang, an ecommerce firm with most of its revenue from Korea, saw the personal data of 33.7 million customers compromised in the incident.

The proposed legislation would let the National Assembly ask the Ministry of Justice to impose entry bans on non-Korean executives who ignore summonses, with the justice minister required to act and report back to lawmakers.

Current law allows for criminal penalties for noncompliance, but enforcement is limited if witnesses are outside Korea.

🔗 Source: The Korea Times

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Entry ban faces enforcement hurdles despite legislative intent

The proposal amends the Act on Testimony and Appraisal at the National Assembly (the law that governs witness summons, testimony in parliament) 1.
It also revises the Immigration Control Act (Korea’s entry/exit, immigration law) to permit entry bans on foreign witnesses who skip hearings without justification 1.
The National Assembly could ask the Ministry of Justice to impose a ban on non‑Korean executives who ignore summonses, and require the justice minister to act and report back 1.
Current law criminalizes witness no‑shows, yet jurisdiction blocks enforcement when the person stays abroad 2.
About 90% of Coupang’s revenue comes from Korea 1. Kim said he lives overseas as CEO of a company that operates in more than 170 countries 3, so a ban would matter only if he seeks entry.

Data breach response vendors can capitalize on expanded compliance budgets

The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC, Korea’s top privacy regulator) fined Golfzon KRW 7.5 billion for a May 2024 breach, the largest domestic penalty to date 4. In January 2025 it fined KRW 8.3 billion in the Kakao Pay case and ordered Alipay, a Chinese digital payments platform, to delete an algorithm trained on 40 million users’ data without proper notice or consent 5.
Companies must notify affected people and regulators within 72 hours under specific conditions, or face penalties up to KRW 30 million for failures 6.
The PIPC’s October 2024 security guideline update 6 plus new precedents add uncertainty for enterprises. Demand rises for identity protection services, breach‑notification platforms, and Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) compliance consulting.
Foreign vendors that process over 1 million Korean data subjects (individuals whose personal data is processed) daily or generate KRW 1 trillion revenue must name domestic representatives, a locally established agent authorized to interact with regulators 4.