Minister Kim Young-hoon of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) said it "appears highly likely to constitute an industrial accident" in the case of the late Oh Seung-yong, a delivery worker in his 30s who died while making Coupang dawn deliveries in Jeju. Minister Kim stated accordingly at a Coupang hearing held at the National Assembly on the 30th.
Earlier, Oh, a delivery driver affiliated with a Coupang partner company, crashed into a utility pole while driving a 1-ton (t) truck on a road in Ora 2-dong, Jeju City, at about 2:10 a.m. on the 10th of last month. He suffered severe injuries and was taken to a hospital, but died.
Oh's bereaved family attended the hearing that day and said, "(The deceased) worked more than 11 hours a day and delivered 300–400 packages a day, and although it was said to be a five-day workweek, he worked six days," adding, "After consecutive dawn delivery shifts, he served as chief mourner for three days due to his father's sudden death, took only one day off on the day of the funeral, returned to work, and died."
They added, "Coupang has not even contacted us since the accident and is turning a blind eye," and asked, "Is it so hard to apologize?" Harold Rogers, Coupang's acting CEO, said, "We are truly sorry. We offer our deepest condolences." However, in response to the family's demand to "acknowledge the industrial accident and compensation," he said, "We are in discussions."
Meanwhile, the labor ministry said that Coupang's personnel management system also appears to have potential legal violations.
Coupang operates a personnel management system that assigns grades based on individual performance, dividing grades into four tiers. Employees in the bottom 10% must complete a performance improvement plan (PIP) program. Some employees say the process is rife with excessive assignments, and failing to pass effectively leads to pressure to resign.
Vice Minister Kwon Chang-joon said, "(A personnel management system) must have reasonable standards, and fair opportunities for job changes must be guaranteed," adding, "From that perspective, it appears there are aspects (of Coupang's personnel management system) that violate the law." He said, "If we find any wrongdoing through a fact-finding review, we will recommend corrective measures."