South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang confirmed on Thursday that personal data from an additional 165,000 user accounts had been exposed, extending a crisis that has now entered its fourth month and threatens the livelihoods of thousands of workers dependent on the platform.

The newly identified leak, which Coupang said was part of the original breach disclosed in November 2025 rather than a separate incident, involved customer names, phone numbers and addresses. The company said no payment details, login credentials or order histories were compromised in these additional cases.

The confirmation comes as a government investigation continues into the initial breach, which affected more than 33 million accounts – representing over half of South Korea's 52 million population. According to the BBC, Coupang became aware of unauthorised access to around 4,500 customer accounts on 18 November, but subsequent checks revealed the breach had likely begun in June through an overseas-based server.

The prolonged investigation has triggered a sharp decline in consumer activity. Market intelligence firm Wiseapp.Retail reported that Coupang's monthly active users fell to 33 million in January, a drop of approximately one million from December 2025, according to The Straits Times. The publication noted this represented a 3.2 per cent decline – roughly 10 times larger than the decrease recorded between November and December.

Delivery workers have borne the immediate financial impact. A Coupang parcel driver in his 30s told The Straits Times that reduced order volumes had translated directly into lower earnings. "My income rose as Coupang grew," he said. "Since the data breach, that's reversed – and I still have a family to support and bills to pay."

The Coupang Partners Association, representing delivery vendors, warned last week that drivers' livelihoods were under threat as order volumes shrank. "Unconfirmed suspicions and prolonged ambiguity are heightening consumer anxiety and directly reducing delivery orders," the group said, noting that approximately 20,000 delivery workers handling Coupang orders support families through this income.

Industry sources told The Straits Times that more than 5,000 employees at Coupang Fulfillment Services applied for voluntary time off between early December 2025 and mid-January 2026 as logistics volumes declined.

Small merchants have reported severe consequences. The Korea Federation of Micro Enterprises said sellers were experiencing average sales declines of 30 to 40 per cent. A farmer surnamed Min told The Straits Times her sales through Coupang had fallen by half. "Now I'm stuck with unsold goods," she said.

Harold Rogers, interim chief executive of Coupang Korea, faced 12 hours of police questioning last weekend over allegations of evidence destruction linked to the breach, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily. He is scheduled for a second police summons on Friday.

South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT said it would impose strict sanctions if violations of data protection safety measures were found. Telecommunications operator SK Telecom was fined nearly $100 million over a separate data breach affecting more than 20 million subscribers, the BBC reported.

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