'Population 560,000' Coupang Smart Logistics Center Creates Youth Jobs in Local City [Report]

【Gimhae (Gyeongnam) = Jeong Sanghee Reporter】 Coupang's Gimhae Smart Logistics Center, newly opened last April, is located 10 km from Gimhae International Airport and is directly connected to downtown Busan via the Busan Gimhae Light Rail Transit. On the 17th, amidst the monsoon rain, the Gimhae Smart Logistics Center, located a 10-minute walk from Gimhae University Station on the Busan Gimhae Light Rail Transit, appeared even more grandiose nestled among low-rise buildings. The Gimhae Center, with a total floor area of approximately 37,000 pyeong (122,314㎡), is an advanced facility built from the basement to the 8th floor above ground. 
The Smart Logistics Center, symbolizing Coupang's innovative logistics system, is responsible for everything from inventory management to final delivery in a 'one-stop' process. The sub-hub is located between the Coupang logistics center and delivery camps, efficiently sorting customer orders by delivery area. Products shipped from the logistics center are re-sorted at the sub-hub and delivered to each delivery camp, achieving time reduction in Rocket Delivery and maximizing logistics efficiency. Its relatively close proximity to the city center also creates jobs preferred by the youth. 
Gimhae, adjacent to major cities like Busan and Changwon, is a region sufficient to serve as a transportation and logistics hub. In the past, it recorded the highest unemployment rate in the country due to its poor regional industrial structure centered on small manufacturing companies with fewer than 50 employees. As of the end of May this year, it is a mid-sized city with a population of 560,000, but there were no quality jobs to attract the youth compared to demand. According to Statistics Korea's regional employment survey data, the youth employment rate in the Gyeongnam region is lower than the national average.
Coupang aims to create about 1,450 new jobs by next year through the Gimhae Smart Logistics Center. Recruitment is actively underway, with active inflow of local youth and career-interrupted women. On this day, it was not difficult to find young people in their 20s and 30s within the center.
Coupang has previously succeeded in contributing to new job creation and regional economic revitalization in Changwon. The Changwon logistics center was responsible for 78% of new employment in 2022, contributing to a reduction in regional unemployment with the creation of over 3,000 jobs. As of the second half of last year, the proportion of direct employment of the 2030 youth in Coupang's non-Seoul logistics centers was 51%, higher than the metropolitan area (40%). This means that Coupang plays a key role in local youth employment.
Currently, the Gimhae Smart Logistics Center is expanding its operations sequentially ahead of full operation. A Coupang Logistics Services representative said, "To create a pleasant working environment, we are introducing a shielding air conditioning system at major centers nationwide in preparation for the upcoming heat wave," and "We plan to apply this system to the Gimhae Center as well."
Meanwhile, as Coupang announced it would invest more than 3 trillion won in logistics infrastructure by 2026, it is invigorating the provinces by establishing more than 100 logistics networks in 30 cities nationwide, including Gimhae. It is evaluated that it helps curb the overcrowding of the metropolitan area while leading to the creation of local youth employment. With Coupang's investment, free Rocket Delivery is expanding to areas with population decline, and approximately 10,000 new jobs are expected to be created in the new logistics infrastructure built for this purpose.
wonder@fnnews.com Jeong Sanghee Reporter