Harold Rogers, Coupang's acting CEO, was seen on the 4th watching in person in the United States the national soccer team's friendly ahead of the North and Central America World Cup. With him visiting the national team match broadcast by Coupang Play, the industry says Coupang is using sports content to broaden its external touchpoints and is also working to improve relations with the government.
Rogers appeared on the broadcast of the friendly between Korea and El Salvador held in the morning at South Field at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He wore the Korea national team jersey and watched from the stands. The game was broadcast live via Coupang Play.
When Rogers was shown on the broadcast, Yang Dong-seok, a Coupang Play play-by-play announcer, said, "Harold Rogers of Coupang is watching today's match," and added, "He came to the venue in person wearing the national team jersey to cheer on the national team players."
Brigham Young University, where the game was held, is Rogers' alma mater. Utah is also where he spent his childhood. Rogers is known to have majored in English literature at Brigham Young University before entering Harvard Law School.
South Field, Brigham Young University's soccer-specific stadium, sits at an elevation of 1,460 meters. Because it is similar to the 1,571-meter elevation of the Mexico venue for the World Cup finals, the Korea national soccer team is using it as a local pre-camp training site. The El Salvador match is the final friendly for the team after securing a spot in the North and Central America World Cup finals.
Rogers was said to have greeted on-site officials and encouraged Coupang Play staff at the venue. An industry official said, "While on a business trip to the United States, Rogers judged the national team match that Coupang Play is broadcasting to be important and decided to visit in person."
In the retail industry, the view is that Coupang is continuing conciliatory moves to improve relations with the government, using sports as a bridgehead. By leveraging sports broadcasting rights held by Coupang Play to release content with public interest and symbolic value and by expanding key on-site activities, the company is said to be reinforcing an image of cooperation.
Earlier, Coupang broadcast live for free the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League semifinal between North Korea's "Naegohyang Women's Football Team," which visited Korea for the first time in 12 years, and Suwon FC Women last month. The AFC Women's Champions League is a sports tournament for which Coupang Play holds exclusive broadcasting rights and is typically offered to paid subscribers. However, the match was reportedly made available for free in consideration of the symbolism of inter-Korean relations.
Rogers' on-site activities are also continuing. In March, he personally experienced a dawn delivery site with Rep. Yeom Tae-young of the Democratic Party of Korea, and in Apr., he held a meeting with small and mid-sized merchants in the Chungcheong region. In May, he visited the Sejong Coupang fulfillment center to review the emergency relief response system, among other efforts to broaden external touchpoints.