[Anchor]
The Ministry of Employment and Labor has released the results of its investigation into allegations that Coupang attempted to conceal the industrial accident death of the late Jang Deok-jun, a story we exclusively reported last year. The ministry concluded that while former CEO Kim Bom-suk did give inappropriate instructions at the time, no criminal charges could be established and the statute of limitations has expired.
Our first report today (October 23) comes from reporter Baegun.
[Reporter]
The late Jang Deok-jun passed away after finishing a night shift at Coupang's Chilgok Logistics Center in October 2020.
In December of last year, SBS exclusively reported that Kim Bom-suk, then CEO of Coupang, had instructed officials to ensure that the deceased's work records did not reflect that he worked hard.
Coupang's internal documents contained records tracked down to the minute and second, even noting when workers drank water or used the restroom.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor, which has been investigating the suspected concealment of the industrial accident, stated that it confirmed such inappropriate instructions were indeed given.
It was also found that during the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service's investigation, Coupang submitted CCTV footage where Jang was not visible and made statements regarding the working environment that contradicted the footage.
However, the ministry stated that because the occurrence of the industrial accident was reported and no interference with the approval of the accident was confirmed, it is difficult to apply charges of concealing an industrial accident.
The ministry also stated that the statute of limitations has expired, and it plans to forward the case with a recommendation for non-indictment.
Beginning in March, the ministry also conducted occupational safety inspections on 105 Coupang logistics centers and delivery camps.
This came at a time when overwork and safety issues were being intensively raised, following fatal accidents in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, and Jeju.
[Lee Jae-soon / Head of the Chuncheon Branch, Coupang Division of the Korean Courier Workers' Union (December of last year): There is only one thing we want. An environment where people can work without dying, and the simple daily life of being able to 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 covers were not installed on conveyors, and safety measures to prevent collisions between forklifts and workers were insufficient.
Cases of failing to conduct special health examinations for night-shift workers or improperly managing rest facilities were also identified.
Additionally, during the inspection process, the ministry found circumstances indicating that Coupang had pressured individuals to withdraw their industrial accident applications through settlement money or interviews with managers, and has launched an investigation into the matter.
Out of the 205 legal violations, the ministry plans to refer 61 for judicial processing and impose a total of approximately 1.96 billion won in fines for the remaining 144.
(Video Editing: Kim Jong-mi, Design: Park Tae-young, VJ: Lee Ji-hwan)
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