Prime Minister Kim Min-seok threatened to take action if Coupang is found to have violated the law following its recent large-scale data breach.

During a state policy meeting at the government complex in Seoul on Wednesday, Kim described the leak of nearly 34 million customers’ personal information as “beyond the level of serious" and said protecting public information is a platform's most basic responsibility in a digital society.

Kim said the government will investigate the cause of the Coupang breach and take strict measures against any legal violations.

According to the Prime Minister's Office, the Personal Information Protection Commission, which is conducting the ongoing investigations, is focusing on whether Coupang violated its obligation to implement safety measures in response to the leak.

During the meeting, Kim also addressed concerns about what he described as a severe issue of false and exaggerated advertising using artificial intelligence(AI), which has been spreading rapidly through social networking services.

Kim said such abuse of generative AI can be considered serious crimes that not only disrupt market order but also harm consumers.

He said the government intends to prevent and block the spread of false advertising using AI by introducing a mandatory AI product-labeling system and shortening the window for correcting false ads.

Kim added that, in line with the plan, violators will face harsher penalties and punitive damages.