As the number of labor unions at Coupang has grown to seven, unions are engaging in a "performance contest" to recruit members. Koonion, a fledgling union launched last year, is promoting what it calls an achievement, saying it eliminated the audio recording function on dashcams in delivery vehicles. But the company and the union offer conflicting explanations, and it appears Koonion itself has not confirmed whether the function actually disappeared.
According to the industry on the 30th, Koonion, the Coupang chapter of the Chemical, Textile and Food Industry Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), recently posted on its website that, at the union's request, the audio recording function on Coupang delivery vehicles, or "Coupang Cars," was deleted. The union said it raised concerns that even private conversations drivers have inside the vehicle could be recorded and pushed for improvements.
According to Koonion, audio had been recorded by dashcams installed in 1-ton, 5-ton, and 8.5-ton Coupang Cars. On the 5-ton and 8.5-ton vehicles, audio was also recorded on the side cameras, it said. Koonion said it learned of this in March through a tip from a member and raised the issue in collective bargaining. In May, it said it received a response from the company that corrective measures were underway, and later heard that the dashcam audio recording setting had been turned off. However, it said it was told that removing the audio recording function on the side cameras of the 5-ton and 8.5-ton vehicles would be difficult.
Koonion said it has not been able to verify whether the audio recording function was actually turned off. Because the dashcam screen is sealed and a delivery driver could face discipline for tampering with the dashcam, it is difficult to confirm the facts, it said. The union also said it has not obtained materials to prove the company's measures. It added that it has not identified any cases where recorded audio was actually used.
The company's explanation differs. According to Coupang, the dashcam can record both video and audio like a standard in-vehicle device, but the audio recording function is turned off by default. Because multiple drivers take turns using a vehicle, there were cases where someone had turned the function on, and after some employees raised concerns, the company guided drivers to turn it off, it said. A Coupang official said, "We have never collected or used employees' audio," and added, "We did not delete the function or replace the device." The Coupang Friends union, which represents delivery drivers, also believes the audio recording function itself still remains.
In the end, taken together, Koonion's promotion that the audio recording function was "deleted" differs even from what the union itself has confirmed. Some interpret Koonion's focus on the issue as stemming from an urgent need to recruit members. Koonion launched in June 2025 with a focus on headquarters office staff, but has since expanded eligibility to all job categories across Coupang affiliates. Recently it has been handing out flyers in front of office buildings to recruit field workers such as delivery drivers. Field roles overlap with the base of existing unions.
◇ Seven unions proliferate… bargaining tables multiply
According to sources inside and outside Coupang, there are currently seven unions active across Coupang affiliates, including Coupang Eats. They include the Coupang Friends union for directly employed delivery drivers; Koonion; and the Coupang Logistics Center Chapter under the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union for employees of Coupang Fulfillment Services (CFS) logistics centers. There is also the Coupang Headquarters under the Federation of Korean Trade Unions' National Parcel Delivery Industry Union, which bargains with Coupang Logistics Services (CLS), and the Coupang Headquarters under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) National Parcel Delivery Union. At Coupang Eats, there are the KCTU Delivery Platform Union and the Riders Union Chapter under the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union. Except for the largest, the Coupang Friends union, most are said to have membership rates below 1%.
As unions have increased, so have bargaining tables. The Coupang Friends union, founded in 2018, withdrew from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) in 2023 with 93% of members in favor and became an independent union, signing a collective agreement with the company in Feb. this year. The Coupang Logistics Center Chapter concluded its first collective agreement in Apr. this year. By contrast, Koonion's talks broke down in Aug., and negotiations that resumed on the recommendation of a mediator at the Labor Relations Commission collapsed again on the 21st.
In Mar. this year, the revised Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act, which allows subcontractor unions to bargain directly with the primary contractor, took effect, sparking a power struggle among unions. On the first day the law took effect, the Federation of Korean Trade Unions' Parcel Delivery Industry Union demanded talks with CLS, and CLS accepted, putting that union in the lead in bargaining. The KCTU Parcel Delivery Union then applied to separate the bargaining unit, saying it would negotiate separately from the Federation of Korean Trade Unions. However, the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission rejected this in Apr., followed by the Central Labor Relations Commission in Jun. The view was that there was no need for separate bargaining just because parcel delivery drivers doing the same work belonged to different national centers.
In talks between Koonion and the company, the key issue is how far to restrict union membership and participation in industrial action. The two sides failed to narrow differences over time off for union activities, job categories restricted from union membership, and the designation of agreement workers who cannot participate in industrial action. Koonion argues that the company's proposed restrictions would cover 40% to 50% of all employees, but because Coupang does not disclose the total headcount or the number of employees by rank, the actual scale cannot be confirmed. The Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act restricts union membership by people who act on behalf of the employer or represent the employer's interests.
