Kim Bom-suk, founder of Coupang, issued a public apology Sunday over a massive customer data breach at the e-commerce platform, saying the incident caused “great concern and inconvenience” to customers and the public. The belated apology came nearly a month after the data leak was disclosed, as the government and the National Assembly have been stepping up their pressure to hold the e-commerce giant responsible for the incident. However, separately from the apology, he again refused to attend an Assembly hearing slated for Tuesday and Wednesday. “As the founder and chair of Coupang’s board, I sincerely apologize on behalf of all employees,” Kim said in a statement over the incident, in which about 33.7 million customers' information was allegedly leaked. He acknowledged that many customers were left feeling uneasy about the security of their personal information, and admitted that Coupang failed to communicate clearly in the early stages of the incident. “I deeply regret the inadequate initial response and lack of communication,” he said, adding that his apology came too la