The permanent special prosecutor team led by Ahn Gwon-seop investigating allegations related to Coupang summoned a labor inspector who approved Coupang's change to its work rules as a reference witness.
According to legal sources, on the 30th the special prosecutor called in the labor inspector A, who works at the Seoul Eastern District Office of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL), as a reference witness for questioning in the afternoon. A is known to have reviewed the 2023 change to the work rules at Coupang Fulfillment Services (CFS).
CFS is suspected of changing its work rules in May 2023 to the disadvantage of workers. It allegedly changed "for day laborers, only periods with fewer than 15 working hours per week are excluded if employed for more than one year" to "if employed for more than one year and working 15 hours or more per week." The gist is that if even a single day during the employment period includes a day with 15 or fewer weekly working hours, the period for calculating severance pay is reset from that day.
At the time, the Seoul Eastern District Office of the ministry determined there was no problem with the regulation and approved the change. The special prosecutor is expected to question A about internal deliberations during the review and to check whether the approval of the work rules change was appropriate.
Earlier, on the 16th, the special prosecutor also questioned as a reference witness a labor inspector at the Bucheon Branch of the Northern Regional Employment and Labor Office, who referred the CFS unpaid severance case to the Bucheon Branch of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office with an opinion to indict.
CFS is a 100% subsidiary of Coupang's Korea entity and is responsible for operating Coupang's logistics centers.