First labor inspection on Coupang

[Anchor]

The government has conducted its first labor inspection on Coupang CLS, known for its 'rocket delivery'.

There has been significant controversy over the issue of overwork deaths among delivery workers, and while they argued that these workers cannot be considered employees under the Labor Standards Act, the government demanded improvements citing excessive overnight work.

Kim Chae-rin reports.

[Report]

In May of last year, a 41-year-old delivery driver, Jeong Seul-ki, who worked for Coupang CLS's 'rocket delivery', passed away.

This was just over a year after he started his delivery job.

The Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service approved Jeong's death as an industrial accident.

He was found to have worked fixed night shifts six days a week, and in the month before his death, he worked over 74 hours a week.

[Wife of the late Jeong Seul-ki/July, 2024: "He lost almost 10kg in about 3 to 4 weeks. He said he would close his eyes while driving without realizing it. He was driving in that state…."]

After that, four more delivery drivers and temporary workers died at Coupang's logistics centers.

As the controversy grew, the Ministry of Employment and Labor conducted its first '24-hour delivery' labor inspection on Coupang CLS and announced the results.

First, regarding the suspicion of 'illegal dispatch' that the delivery drivers were effectively working as employees under the company's supervision, they concluded that they could not be considered employees.

However, they took action against related individuals for inadequate safety measures and for not reporting industrial accidents within the required timeframe, imposing fines.

For night work, they demanded improvements, suggesting that drivers either work only five days a week or adjust their delivery methods.

Labor groups evaluated that the government investigation effectively gave Coupang a free pass.

Coupang's 'cleansing' system allows the company to reclaim delivery areas if the driver's performance falls short.

They pointed out that structural issues, such as drivers being required to perform sorting tasks that are not part of their official duties, were left unaddressed.

[Father of the late Jeong Seul-ki: "I came here hoping that no one else would die from overwork like my son did. They are conducting the inspection based on something that is not the essence. The biggest problem is that workers continue to die while working at Coupang."]

Coupang stated that they would gather opinions from the field to create improvement measures.

KBS News, Kim Chae-rin.