"Cover-Up Instructions" Confirmed, But Criminal Punishment Difficult

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Allegations that Coupang attempted to cover up the death of late Coupang worker Jang Deok-jun, who passed away after a night shift, were brought to light by our report last year. The Ministry of Employment and Labor, which has been investigating the suspected cover-up of an industrial accident, has confirmed that there were inappropriate instructions given at the time by then-CEO Kim Bom-sark. However, the ministry concluded that holding anyone criminally responsible is difficult because the statute of limitations has expired and the charge of covering up an industrial accident is difficult to apply.

First, we have a report from Reporter Baegun.

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The late Jang Deok-jun passed away in October 2020 after finishing a night shift at Coupang's Chilgok Logistics Center.

In December last year, SBS exclusively reported that then-Coupang CEO Kim Bom-sark gave instructions to "ensure no records remain in the deceased's work logs showing that he worked hard."

Coupang's internal documents recorded even the time spent drinking water or using the restroom down to the minute and second.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor, which investigated the suspected industrial accident cover-up, stated it confirmed that such inappropriate instructions were indeed given.

It was also found that during the investigation by the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, Coupang submitted CCTV footage in which Jang was not visible and made statements regarding the working environment that differed from the footage.

However, the ministry stated that applying the charge of industrial accident concealment is difficult because the occurrence of the industrial accident was reported and no obstruction of industrial accident approval was confirmed.

The ministry also announced that it plans to forward the case with a recommendation for non-indictment as the statute of limitations has expired.

Beginning in March, the labor ministry also conducted industrial safety inspections on 105 Coupang logistics centers and delivery camps.

This period coincided with intensive raising of concerns regarding overwork and safety issues, including fatal accidents in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, and Jeju.

[Lee Jae-soon, head of the Chuncheon branch of the Coupang union under the Korea Express Workers' Union (December last year): "There is only one thing we hope for. An environment where people can work without dying, and a simple daily life where we can have dinner with our families after getting off work."]

As a result of the inspections, a massive 205 violations were uncovered.

It was found that emergency stop devices or safety guards were not installed on conveyors, and safety measures to prevent collisions between forklifts and workers were also inadequate.

Cases of failing to conduct special health examinations for night shift workers or failing to properly manage rest facilities were also confirmed.

Additionally, during the inspections, the ministry confirmed two instances where Coupang had workers withdraw their applications for industrial accident compensation through settlements or management interviews, and launched an investigation into them.

Out of the 205 legal violations, the labor ministry plans to take judicial action on 61 cases and impose fines totaling approximately 1.96 billion won for the remaining 144 cases.

(Video Editing: Kim Jong-mi, Design: Park Tae-young, VJ: Lee Ji-hwan)

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