Coupang successfully hosts global Hackathon ‘HackSeoul 2025’

Coupang has announced the successful conclusion of the global hackathon “HackSeoul 2025,” which it co-hosted, on November 10. A hackathon—a blend of “hacker” and “marathon”—is a coding competition where participants develop programs and services within a limited timeframe.

The event, held on November 8–9 at Coupang’s headquarters in Songpa-gu, Seoul, focused on “AI for Solving Real-World Problems and Driving Future Innovation.” HackSeoul is part of the AngelHack Global Series, which takes place simultaneously in multiple cities worldwide, with Coupang participating as a Korean co-host for the second consecutive year. Key partners from AI, blockchain, and cloud sectors, including Lambda256 and Elev8, also joined the event.

Around 120 developers, engineers, and designers competed over 24 hours to create diverse solutions leveraging AI technology. Participants tackled issues related to commerce, logistics, fintech, transaction trust and security, and the creative industry—areas closely tied to everyday life.

In a keynote speech, Yoon Ki-yong, Director of Coupang’s Backend Engineering Team, said, “Creating a successful AI product requires not only technology but also consideration of market gaps, product value, and return on investment. We hope this event provides participants with the opportunity to learn such thinking.”

The winning team proposed an AI service that automatically adds ingredients to a shopping cart based on cooking videos stored on social media. Coupang’s Corporate Development Team will discuss potential collaboration and investment opportunities with the team.

A Coupang spokesperson said, “We will continue to strengthen connections with AI talent and startups through HackSeoul and other global technology events, ensuring that AI technologies translate into real improvements in customer experience through ongoing investment and ecosystem support.”