Kwon Young-guk, co-chair of the Coupang Countermeasures Committee, speaks at a press conference held Friday in front of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office in Jung-gu, Seoul, to announce the group's position on the Ministry of Employment and Labor's labor inspection results for Coupang. [Yonhap]
Kwon Young-guk, co-chair of the Coupang Countermeasures Committee, speaks at a press conference held Friday in front of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office in Jung-gu, Seoul, to announce the group's position on the Ministry of Employment and Labor's labor inspection results for Coupang. [Yonhap]

Families of workers killed in Coupang-related workplace accidents and labor groups condemned the Ministry of Employment and Labor on Friday after it released the findings of its investigation into allegations that the company concealed the industrial accident death of the late Jang Deok-jun.

Jang, a worker at a Coupang logistics center, died of acute myocardial infarction at his home in October 2020 after finishing a late-night shift at the company's facility in Chilgok-gun, North Gyeongsang Province.

Suspicions of a cover-up emerged after it was revealed that Coupang Inc Chairman Kim Bum-suk had instructed company officials to "make sure no record remains showing that he worked hard."

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced the results of its investigation into the cover-up allegations on Thursday.

While the ministry confirmed signs of an attempt to conceal the industrial accident — including Kim's inappropriate instructions — it forwarded the case to prosecutors with a recommendation against indictment, citing insufficient legal grounds and the expiration of the statute of limitations.

The bereaved families' association, the Coupang Workers' Health and Human Rights Countermeasures Committee, and the Coupang Logistics Center branch of the National Logistics Center Union held a press conference in front of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office in Jung-gu, Seoul, on Friday, saying the ministry "gave Coupang a free pass without conducting a proper investigation."

The groups criticized the ministry's conclusion that no cover-up had occurred simply because Coupang had filed an accident report.

They argued that because companies are legally required to record, preserve and report the causes of industrial accidents, Kim's alleged instruction to ensure no record of Jang's hard work remained should itself be treated as an act of concealment.

They also criticized the ministry for closing the case on the grounds that the statute of limitations had expired, saying the ministry should also investigate why it failed to act before the deadline passed.

In addition, the groups said the ministry's response was inadequate regarding allegations that Coupang had compiled a list of some former employees — described internally as candidates for "careful consideration" — and used it as a reference when screening applicants for rehire.

The groups also said the ministry's position was contradictory: while it concluded in this investigation that restricting a worker's internal reemployment did not violate the Labor Standards Act, the ministry had issued an administrative interpretation in 2021 stating that obstructing internal reemployment did constitute a violation.

They further criticized the ministry for failing to properly investigate allegations that Coupang's logistics subsidiary, Coupang Fulfillment Services, had in 2024 maintained a blacklist to block the reemployment of unwanted individuals. The list was reported to include journalists and union officials.

The groups said they would push for a proper Board of Audit and Inspection audit of the ministry and would seek punishment for Coupang executives who allegedly committed perjury related to the cover-up during National Assembly hearings.


husn7@heraldcorp.com