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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Cha Hye Young] South Korea’s National Tax Service (NTS) has launched a special tax investigation into e-commerce giant Coupang, following recent controversy over a personal data breach.
On Monday, officials from the Seoul Regional Tax Office’s Investigation Division 4 and the International Transactions Investigation Bureau conducted on-site inspections at Coupang’s Korea headquarters and its logistics subsidiary, Coupang Fulfillment Services. Around 150 investigators were dispatched to secure accounting and financial records.
Investigation Division 4 is responsible for non-routine probes involving serious issues such as alleged tax evasion, underscoring the exceptional nature of the audit. The involvement of the International Transactions Investigation Bureau indicates a focus on Coupang’s cross-border transactions.
According to industry sources, the tax authorities are closely examining Coupang’s overall transaction structure, including potential profit-shifting arrangements at the group level involving its U.S. parent company.
Market attention is now focused on how the investigation may affect Coupang’s governance, transparency, and regulatory risk profile.
Alphabiz 차혜영 기자(kay33@alphabiz.co.kr)
