Coupang, Coupang Eats and Coupang Play hit by overnight outage of about two hours
In short
Coupang, Coupang Eats and Coupang Play apps and websites suffered access errors from around midnight on October 9, disrupting orders, logins and deliveries until about 02:30. Coupang said a temporary error occurred during a service upgrade and that services were back to normal, while reports said it was still identifying the exact cause.
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Coupang, Coupang Eats and Coupang Play apps and websites suffered access errors in the early hours of October 9, Hangul Day, leaving users unable to get past the first screen, several outlets reported. Screens showed only the message: 'The network connection is not smooth. Please check your connection and try again.' Coupang said in a notice that a temporary error had occurred across its services during a service upgrade on October 9, that it had been resolved and that services could be used normally. 'We apologise for the inconvenience,' the company added. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Outlets differed on the timing. Kukmin Ilbo and Maeil Business said the errors began at about 00:20, Korea Economic Daily and Seoul Shinmun said around midnight, and Newsis, citing field staff, said the outage fully took hold at about 00:35. Kukmin Ilbo, Korea Economic Daily and Seoul Shinmun said it was resolved at around 02:30, while Newsis said some functions were restored then. Maeil Business put the duration at about two and a half hours. From about 01:00 the Coupang app main screen could be opened, but clicking products brought back the same error, or logins or payments failed, Kukmin Ilbo and Seoul Shinmun reported. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
The disruption reached delivery work. Coupang's logistics site also had errors, and Maeil Business said start and completion of deliveries could not be processed. Newsis reported that logins failed on the Coupang Flex (쿠팡플렉스) delivery app and that sorting and scanning stopped at logistics sites; some camps moved delivery volumes to the first daytime run. Kukmin Ilbo quoted Cho Un-sang (조운상), a Coupang driver in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, as saying he could not confirm a completed delivery while other platforms worked normally. A Coupang Eats rider said he had picked up food but did not know where to take it. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
Coupang was reported to see the update as the source of the errors and to be identifying the exact cause. Newsis reported that the company was carrying out additional security checks and that no hacking-related issues had been found so far. Maeil Business said user unease was growing after recent hacking incidents in the financial sector. ZDNet Korea noted that the specific start time, duration and number of affected users were not disclosed. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]
Customers who had contacted the customer centre were told by text message that services were back to normal. The Coupang app is the top e-commerce platform with more than 30 million monthly active users, according to Kukmin Ilbo, Korea Economic Daily and Seoul Shinmun. [ 1 , 4 , 6 ]
Why it matters
The Coupang app has more than 30 million monthly active users, and the outage affected not only shoppers but also delivery drivers, store owners and logistics work. Outlets linked user unease to recent hacking incidents at banks, though Newsis reported that no hacking-related security problems had been found so far.
Key facts
- Access errors hit the Coupang, Coupang Eats and Coupang Play apps and websites in the early hours of October 9. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Users saw the message: 'The network connection is not smooth. Please check your connection and try again.' [ 1 , 4 , 6 ]
- Coupang's logistics site also had access errors, affecting delivery work. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- The errors were resolved at around 02:30. [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Coupang said a temporary error occurred across its services during a service upgrade and had been resolved. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Coupang was reported to be identifying the exact cause. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 6 ]
- The Coupang app has more than 30 million monthly active users. [ 1 , 4 , 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Coupang, Coupang Eats and Coupang Play had access errors in the early hours of October 9. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Coupang attributed the outage to a temporary error during a service upgrade and said services could be used normally. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Coupang's logistics systems also had errors, disrupting deliveries. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Access was restored at around 02:30. [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Coupang apologised for the inconvenience. [ 3 , 5 ]
- Customers who had contacted the customer centre were told by text message that services were back to normal. [ 4 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- When the outage started. Kukmin Ilbo and Maeil Business put the start at about 00:20, Korea Economic Daily and Seoul Shinmun at around midnight, and Newsis said it fully took hold at about 00:35, citing field staff.
- How long it lasted and whether all functions were restored at 02:30. Reports give more than two hours, about two hours and about two and a half hours; Newsis said some functions were restored at about 02:30.
- The exact cause. Coupang said it happened during a service upgrade, but reports said it was still identifying the exact cause.
- How many users were affected. ZDNet Korea reported that the specific start time, duration and number of affected users were not disclosed.
- Whether security was involved. Only Newsis reported that Coupang was running additional security checks and had found no hacking-related problems so far.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Access errors begin on Coupang, Coupang Eats and Coupang Play, according to Kukmin Ilbo and Maeil Business. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The outage fully takes hold, according to field staff cited by Newsis. [ 5 ]
- The Coupang app main screen becomes accessible, but clicking products brings back the error or login fails. [ 1 , 6 ]
- Access errors are resolved; Newsis said some functions were restored. [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]