Coupang Inc., the US-listed e-commerce giant, announced record-high annual sales for the past year, even in the wake of a significant data breach. The company’s founder also issued a public apology, his first in-person statement regarding the incident.
According to a press release, annual sales reached 49.11 trillion won ($34.3 billion) in 2025, marking an impressive 18.9 percent increase compared to the previous year.
Net income more than tripled, rising to 303 billion won from 94 billion won the year before, while operating profit saw a substantial 12.7 percent year-on-year surge to 679 billion won.
These strong financial results come despite the recent data breach. While Coupang initially reported that only around 3,000 user accounts were affected, a subsequent joint public-private investigation revealed that over 33.6 million accounts were compromised.
Kim Bom-suk, Founder and Chairman of the Board at Coupang, addressed the data breach incident with a verbal apology.
“Everything we have built at Coupang has been driven by a single focus: wowing our customers. Our customers are the only reason we exist, and earning their trust is something we strive to do every single day,” Kim stated during the earnings call.
“There is nothing more serious at Coupang than failing to live up to our customers’ expectations. We know we have to do better, and we will,” he added, emphasizing the company’s commitment to regaining customer trust.
Kim had previously released a written apology statement in late December.
In the fourth quarter, ending December 31, Coupang’s sales increased by 15 percent to 12.81 trillion won from 11.11 trillion won the year prior.
However, operating profit experienced a sharp 97 percent year-on-year decrease to 11.5 billion won, potentially influenced by the 50,000 won per user compensation package offered in response to the data breach.
