Bom Kim's Directive After Coupang Worker’s Death: "Make Sure There Are No Records of His Work"

[Financial News] Bom Kim, Chairman of Coupang, was reportedly directly involved in ordering the minimization and concealment of the death of Coupang logistics center worker Jang Deok-jun in 2020. The incident occurred while Kim was serving as the company's Korea CEO.
Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) reported on the 17th that after Jang's death, a messenger conversation took place between Bom Kim, then CEO of Coupang Korea, and the former Chief Privacy Officer (CPO). Jang had worked early morning shifts at Coupang for one year and four months before dying of a myocardial infarction just an hour and a half after leaving the Chilgok Logistics Center on October 12, 2020.
In the messenger chat, Kim, identified as 'BOM,' mentioned phrases such as drinking water, waiting, moving empty carts, and going to the restroom. The CPO, who managed internal video footage, responded by noting down the details and explaining that it would take time to review the videos.
Kim also instructed, "Make sure there are no records showing that he worked hard." SBS interpreted this as a directive to avoid leaving evidence of excessive labor by confirming footage and times when Jang was not working.
Kim further messaged, "Hourly workers are not paid based on performance, so why would he work so hard? That doesn't make sense," and reprimanded, "This will not help us at the National Assembly tomorrow morning." On October 26 of that year, the Environment and Labor Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea held a parliamentary audit, during which Coupang strongly denied the bereaved family's claims of death from overwork.
SBS explained that the family, who were recognized as victims of death from overwork after more than four years of civil litigation against Coupang, now understood the company's unreasonable response at the time.
SBS also noted that internal Coupang records tracked Jang's restroom breaks and drink times down to the second in the week before his death. There was even an Excel file that directly transcribed the English phrases used by Kim, such as 'drinking water' and 'waiting.'
In response, Coupang told SBS, "The former executive (CPO) who was dismissed made one-sided and distorted claims out of dissatisfaction with Coupang," adding, "Coupang won both the first and second trials in the wrongful dismissal lawsuit filed by the former executive."
y27k@fnnews.com Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter