South Korea’s National Tax Service has initiated a large-scale, high-priority audit of e-commerce leader Coupang, with a significant focus on examining transactions between its Korean operations and its U.S. headquarters, according to industry sources familiar with the matter. The probe follows a major data breach at the company earlier this year.
On December 22, approximately 150 investigators from the Seoul Regional Tax Office’s Investigation Division 4—a unit specializing in clandestine funds and suspected tax evasion—and the International Transactions Investigation Bureau arrived at Coupang’s headquarters in Seoul’s Songpa District and at its logistics subsidiary, Coupang Fulfillment Services. The teams secured accounting records and internal documents as part of the audit.
Although the audit is formally directed at the logistics subsidiary, sources indicate the review effectively encompasses Coupang’s entire domestic and international business. Tax officials are closely scrutinizing the company’s profit-shifting arrangements, including financial flows with its Delaware-based U.S. headquarters, which is wholly owned by the Korean parent entity.
The scale of the deployment is notable. In South Korea, an audit involving around 100 investigators is typically considered a major operation; the dispatch of 150 personnel signals the tax authority’s heightened focus on this case.
The National Tax Service declined to comment, citing policy against discussing individual taxpayer matters. Coupang also refrained from commenting, stating it does not disclose details regarding ongoing audits.
The audit underscores heightened regulatory scrutiny of large online platforms in South Korea, particularly concerning cross-border transactions and data security compliance.
