Harold Rogers, Coupang's acting head, raised his voice and showed displeasure at a joint National Assembly hearing on the 30th. With Kim Beom-suk, Coupang Inc. board chair and founder, absent, lawmakers' rebukes poured in as Rogers took an uncooperative stance.

Harold Rogers, Coupang CEO, answers Chairperson Choi Min-hee's instruction to wear a simultaneous interpretation device as he appears at a joint hearing at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 30th to examine the Coupang breach incident and personal data leak, unfair transaction, labor conditions, and to prepare measures to prevent recurrence./Courtesy of News1

Rogers appeared at the "Coupang joint hearing" at the National Assembly on the 30th and faced questions over a massive personal data leak, allegations about an internal probe, and claims of covering up a death from overwork.

Clashes between lawmakers and Rogers began with interpretation. At the hearing on the 17th, a mistranslation of Rogers' remarks was flagged, so simultaneous interpretation was prepared, but Rogers insisted on using a personal interpreter. When Chairperson Choi Min-hee of the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, a lawmaker with the Democratic Party of Korea, refused the personal interpreter, Rogers raised his voice, saying, "This is not normal. I want to raise an objection."

Criticism of Rogers' answers continued. In particular, Democratic Party lawmaker Jeong Il-yeong asked, "Does Chair Kim Beom-suk bear responsibility for the situation?" but Rogers said, without mentioning Kim, "As Coupang's Korea head, I am responsible for this situation." When lawmakers presented evidence of allegations that Kim instructed staff to downplay work intensity related to the death from overwork, Rogers only repeated, "The authenticity of these documents has not been verified."

At a hearing at the National Assembly on the 30th to examine the Coupang breach incident and personal data leak, unfair transaction, labor conditions, and to prepare measures to prevent recurrence, Harold Rogers, Coupang CEO, answers Science. ICT. Broadcasting. and Communications Committee Chairperson Choi Min-hee's request to wear a simultaneous interpretation device./Courtesy of Yonhap News

Chairperson Choi told Rogers, "This is not a conversation," and "You are repeating your answers like a parrot." As the answers continued to repeat, Choi went further, criticizing, "Why is Kim Beom-suk putting forward someone who does not understand the nuances of the Korean language and pulling this kind of prank?"

When lawmakers demanded one-word answers, Rogers tapped the table with his finger and said, "Let's stop (Enough)." In response to criticism that the "50,000 won per-person voucher" was a sales promotion, not compensation, Rogers said, "I think it is an unprecedented compensation plan."

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