South Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labor said on October 22 that it had confirmed Coupang Inc. chairman Kim Beom-seok directed staff to play down and conceal a worker’s overwork death. Because the statute of limitations has expired, it plans to send the case to prosecutors with a no-indictment opinion, and the bereaved family and labor groups called it a whitewash.
According to the Kyunghyang Shinmun, the ministry announced the results of its special inspection and investigation of Coupang on October 22. It said the allegation that Kim directed the minimizing and concealment of the industrial accident of Jang Deok-jun, 27, who died at the Chilgok logistics center in Daegu in 2020, was confirmed. Relying on messages Kim sent to key staff, the ministry judged that an ‘inappropriate directive’ was given, and the paper said the messages in effect told staff to ensure no record remained that he had worked hard.
광고 문의 · 300×250What this reporting confirms goes only as far as the ministry’s announced findings. No court has ruled, and Kim has not been indicted. Everything below follows the Kyunghyang Shinmun’s account of the ministry announcement, and Coupang’s rebuttal is included.
The case and the allegations confirmed
Jang died of an acute myocardial infarction in October 2020 after a night shift. The Kyunghyang Shinmun said he averaged 58 hours a week over the 12 weeks before his death and worked 62 hours in the final week. Coupang denied a link to overwork, but the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service recognized the death as an industrial accident.
The ministry also said media allegations were confirmed that Coupang analyzed CCTV footage to highlight Jang’s rest periods, submitted footage in which he did not appear, and gave false statements to the compensation service in 2020 and 2021. It said the allegations were first reported last December, so it did not regard the investigation as delayed.
Criminal liability looks hard; family objects, Coupang pushes back
Criminal liability is the sticking point. The ministry said it will refer the case to prosecutors with a recommendation not to indict, because the five-year limitation period for the concealment offense expired last October and applying the concealment provision would be difficult. Two further concealment allegations are still under investigation.
In safety inspections of 105 sites, the ministry found 205 violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act, referring 61 for prosecution and fining 144 cases a total of 1.96 billion won. On the performance-improvement program and blacklist allegations, it found no dismissals through the program and no external sharing of a list of former employees, and it found no illegal dispatch of delivery workers.
The bereaved family and labor groups called the probe a whitewash. Coupang said it would make needed improvements but objected that claims by a former executive who was dismissed and lost a lawsuit were presented as established fact. The prosecutors’ conclusion has not been confirmed.
