Coupang CEO Rogers Slams Desk During Hearing, Shouts 'Let's Stop'... National Assembly to File Perjury Charges

[Financial News] Harold Rogers, interim CEO of Coupang, appeared as a witness at the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea hearing on the 30th, raising his voice several times and expressing visible displeasure.
He displayed agitation by banging on the desk and shrugging his shoulders, sometimes interrupting the lawmakers' questions and raising his voice.
On this day, CEO Rogers appeared as a witness at the National Assembly hearing titled 'Hearing on Coupang Security Incidents, Personal Data Leaks, Unfair Trade Practices, and Labor Conditions, and Measures to Prevent Recurrence.'



At the previous hearing on the 17th, issues arose over off-topic answers and mistranslations. For this hearing, simultaneous interpretation was prepared, but CEO Rogers insisted on relying on his own interpreter, leading to friction with lawmakers.
When Chairperson Choi Min-hee repeatedly requested the use of the simultaneous interpretation device, Rogers responded, "I want to use my interpreter," adding, "This is not normal. I want to object."
Chairperson Choi pointed out, "At the previous hearing, there were issues with the interpretation provided by CEO Rogers' personal interpreter," and noted, "For example, when asked about interest rates for loans to small business owners, CEO Rogers answered 'lowest rate,' but the interpretation was rendered as 'relatively low.'"



During the hearing, CEO Rogers continued to give defensive and repetitive answers to the lawmakers' questions.
Rogers stood up and apologized to the family of the late Seungyong Oh, a Coupang delivery worker who died in an accident last month in Jeju, but when asked about recognizing the incident as an industrial accident and providing compensation, he repeatedly answered, "We are in discussions with the family representative."
When questioned about Bom Kim, founder and chairman of Coupang, Inc., Rogers either gave irrelevant answers or avoided direct mention.
Asked about Chairman Kim's role in the investigation into the personal data leak, he avoided mentioning Kim, stating instead, "There was no internal investigation by Coupang; we conducted the investigation as directed by the government."
When asked, 'Is Chairman Bom Kim responsible for this incident?' Rogers responded, "As the Korean CEO of Coupang, I am responsible for this situation," again sidestepping the question.
Chairperson Choi ultimately criticized Rogers, saying, "This conversation is going nowhere," and "You are repeating your answers like a parrot," adding, "Why does Mr. Bom Kim put forward someone who doesn't understand the nuances of the Korean language for this kind of farce?"
When lawmakers demanded simple 'yes' or 'no' answers, Rogers interrupted their questions and raised his voice. When asked about the use of the word 'false' in the English apology letter, he tapped the desk with his finger, visibly agitated.
Eventually, when a lawmaker told him, "That's enough. Stop," Rogers, unable to hide his displeasure, retorted, "Let's stop."
Rogers also repeatedly insisted that the investigation was conducted under government instructions, and in a raised voice said, "Do you not want to inform the Korean public? Why are you hiding this information from the Korean people? I don't understand." After finishing his remarks amid protests from lawmakers, he shrugged his shoulders in apparent disbelief.


Meanwhile, the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea will continue the 'Coupang Incident Joint Hearing' for a second day on the 31st. At the end of the hearing, a resolution is expected to be passed to file perjury charges against Harold Rogers, interim CEO of Coupang.
As with the previous day, key witnesses such as Bom Kim, founder and chairman of Coupang, Inc., will not be present. Lawmakers are expected to continue their pointed questions regarding Coupang's personal data leak, unfair trade practices, labor conditions, and measures to prevent recurrence.
Rogers claimed that the background for meeting the suspect in the personal data leak was based on instructions from the Korean government (NIS). However, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) stated, "We have never given any instructions to Coupang," and announced plans to request perjury charges.


moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter