'Cover-up of Industrial Accident' Orders Confirmed, But "Difficult to Punish Criminally"

 〈앵커〉

Suspicion that Coupang attempted to cover up the case of the late Chang Deok-jun, a Coupang worker who died after a night shift, was revealed by our reporting last year. The Ministry of Employment and Labor, which has been investigating suspicions of covering up industrial accidents, has confirmed that there were inappropriate instructions from then-CEO Kim Bom-sok. However, it concluded that holding them criminally accountable is difficult because the statute of limitations has expired and the charge of covering up an industrial accident is hard to apply.

First, here is a report by Reporter Baegun.

〈기자〉

The late Chang Deok-jun died in October 2020 after finishing his night shift at Coupang's Chilgok Logistics Center.

In December last year, SBS exclusively reported that then-Coupang CEO Kim Bom-sok gave instructions to "ensure that records do not remain showing that the deceased worked diligently."

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

The Ministry of Employment and Labor, which has been investigating the alleged cover-up 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 Chang was not visible and made statements regarding the working environment that differed from the footage.

However, the Ministry of Labor stated that the occurrence of the industrial accident was reported and no interference with the approval of the industrial accident was confirmed, making it difficult to apply charges for covering up an industrial accident.

It also announced that the statute of limitations has expired, and it plans to forward the case with an opinion not to indict.

Starting in March, the Ministry of Labor also conducted occupational safety inspections on 105 Coupang logistics centers and delivery camps.

This was a time when issues regarding overwork and safety were intensively raised, including fatal accidents in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, and Jeju.

[Lee Jae-soon, Head of the Chuncheon Branch of the Coupang Division of the National Courier 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 inspection, 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 inadequate.

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

Additionally, during the inspection, the Ministry confirmed two instances where Coupang pressured workers to withdraw their applications for industrial accident compensation through settlements or manager interviews, and launched an investigation into them.

Out of the 205 violations of the law, the Ministry of Labor plans to criminally process 61 cases and impose fines totaling approximately 1.96 billion won on the remaining 144 cases.

(Video by Kim Jong-mi | Graphics by Park Tae-young | VJ by Lee Ji-hwan)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.