Calls Grow for Coupang Hearing...Labor Unions: “A Pre-modern Company Disguised as Innovation”

[Financial News] In response to last month’s Coupang incident, where 33.7 million cases of personal information were leaked, labor groups strongly demanded accountability, calling it a "comprehensive illegal act that abandoned corporate social responsibility."
At a press conference held on the morning of the 9th in front of Coupang’s headquarters in Sincheon-dong, Songpa District, the KCTU, Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union (KPTU), and the Korean Federation of Service Workers' Unions declared that "Coupang has lost its ability to self-regulate," and called for a thorough investigation and a parliamentary hearing.
The KCTU viewed this incident as a foreseeable outcome. Lee Tae-hwan, Senior Vice Chairman of the KCTU, stated, "The leak of personal information of over 30 million customers was already a predictable event. The fundamental fuel for the growth of rocket delivery was the dedication and sacrifice of workers, but Coupang focused solely on managing legal risks." He added, "No measures were taken to protect customer information or ensure worker safety, and ultimately, the company’s profit-driven mindset led to this crisis."
Labor groups criticized Coupang for evading responsibility and directly challenged its image of 'innovation.' Dongheon Jeong, head of the KPTU Coupang Logistics Center branch, argued, "Despite the largest-ever personal information leak, Coupang is shifting blame to a 'Chinese employee.'" He continued, "The so-called innovative rocket delivery system has been revealed as one that consumes workers as fuel. We can no longer allow Coupang, which cannot even protect the public’s personal data, to go unchecked."
The issue of worker deaths from overwork was also raised at the press conference. Kang Min-wook, preparatory chairman of the National Courier Union under the Korean Federation of Service Workers' Unions, pointed out, "It has been a month since Seungyong Oh, a worker for Coupang’s dawn delivery service in Jeju, passed away, yet Coupang has not issued a single apology." He questioned, "Does Coupang deserve to be called an innovative company when it allowed eight consecutive days of overnight work?" He further emphasized, "The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea also bears responsibility for ignoring the reality where workers’ lives are lost. Bom Kim should be summoned as a witness to a hearing to uncover the truth."
Demands for improved working conditions continued. Yu Cheonghui, executive director of the Korea Institute of Labor Safety and Health (KILSH), remarked, "Even when workers die on the job and tens of millions of pieces of personal information are leaked, Coupang does not offer a proper apology." He stressed, "The working environment, where employees cannot rest even in extreme heat without a single fan, must be improved." He added, "The government has a responsibility to thoroughly supervise Coupang and protect both workers and consumers."
On this day, the KCTU and other groups issued a joint statement, asserting, "Coupang’s personal information leak is fundamentally no different from the repeated industrial accident deaths over the years." They criticized, "This is the result of a corporate culture that treats the duty to protect customers and workers as merely a cost."
They further urged, "Coupang has refused to recognize labor unions as negotiation partners and has maintained pre-modern labor management practices. The company must not ignore the legitimate voices of workers and should immediately engage in negotiations."
Meanwhile, the Cyber Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA) conducted a search and seizure at Coupang’s headquarters in Songpa District on the morning of the same day to secure materials related to the member information leak. Seventeen personnel, including the head of the SMPA Cyber Crime Investigation Unit, who leads the Coupang personal information leak investigation team, were dispatched to the scene.
A police official explained, "This search and seizure is an essential measure to accurately understand the case. Based on the secured digital evidence, we will comprehensively investigate the facts, including those responsible for the leak, the route, and the cause."
The police are also tracking the IP addresses used in the crime by obtaining server log records and other data voluntarily submitted by Coupang.


425_sama@fnnews.com Choi Seung-han, Seo Ji-yoon Reporter