Coupang data breach fuels calls to expand class action lawsuits

A massive customer data breach at Coupang has revived a long-running call to expand the country’s limited class action system beyond the brokerage industry — a reform that experts say is long overdue among developed nations. The call was renewed not only among citizens but also by President Lee Jae Myung, who on Friday urged the swift introduction of a broader class action system. "Every Korean has been affected. It makes no sense to ask each victim to file an individual lawsuit," Lee said. His comments came as public anger mounted over the leak of personal information belonging to 33.7 million Coupang users — roughly two-thirds of Korea’s population of 51.7 million. Under current Korean law, victims may bring joint civil lawsuits, but only those named as plaintiffs are eligible for compensation even if a case succeeds. That limitation has made legal redress difficult in cases involving widespread data breaches or consumer rights violations, where individual losses are often small. "Korea and Turkey are the only OECD members that do not operate a comprehensive class action system,Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times