Bereaved Families and Labor Circles Protest Ministry's 'Absolution' for Coupang

[Anchor]

Despite acknowledging improper instructions, the government concluded that it was difficult to hold anyone accountable, drawing fierce backlash from bereaved families and labor circles. They criticized the move, claiming the government granted Coupang absolution without conducting a proper investigation.

Reporting follows by Lee Seong-hoon.

[Reporter]

It has already been six years since Coupang worker Jang Deok-jun passed away.

Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon criticized Coupang after watching a National Assembly hearing on the company last January, stating, "It made me wonder if they can even be reformed." However, the investigative results were forwarded with a recommendation for non-indictment.

[Park Mi-sook / Mother of the Late Jang Deok-jun: Why have we spent six years fighting like this, unable to do anything else and throwing everything away, only to end up with a result that feels completely futile? We have even less trust in the Ministry of Employment and Labor now.]

The Coupang Countermeasure Committee criticized that a recommendation for non-indictment was issued without summoning and questioning Coupang Chairman Kim Bom-suk even once, raising suspicions that the authorities tried to give Coupang a free pass.

[Kim Hye-jin / Executive Committee Chairperson, Coupang Countermeasure Committee: This goes beyond just reprimanding shortcomings in investigation and oversight. We suspect that the Ministry of Employment and Labor's investigation was intended from the beginning to give Coupang a clean slate.]

They also pointed out that deciding it was difficult to apply charges of concealing an industrial accident simply because the incident was reported is problematic.

[Kim Hye-jin / Executive Committee Chairperson, Coupang Countermeasure Committee: Concealing an industrial accident includes not only hiding the fact of the accident itself, but there is also an obligation to properly preserve the causes and records of industrial accidents. Failing to do all of this also constitutes concealing an industrial accident.]

Regarding allegations surrounding a so-called hiring blacklist, the Ministry of Employment and Labor determined that while a list was indeed created, there was no sign it was used to obstruct employment at other companies, thus finding no violation of the law. As for suspicions that low-performing workers were given impossible tasks to induce resignations, the ministry stated that since there were no actual cases that led to dismissal, relevant regulations were not violated.

The countermeasure committee argued that major allegations were dismissed en masse, calling the investigation shoddy.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) also released a statement saying, "The Ministry of Employment and Labor, which cannot even call the concealment of industrial accidents what it is, has handed Coupang a free pass," while demanding further investigations and a reassessment of decisions regarding the blacklist and illegal dispatch.

The Coupang Countermeasure Committee plans to hold a press conference in front of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Administration tomorrow to denounce the investigation and supervision results.

While stating that it would take necessary measures, Coupang expressed regret, claiming, "These are unilateral claims by a former executive who was dismissed for misconduct and lost his lawsuit, yet the announcement was made as if improper instructions were confirmed to be true."

(Video Shooting: Cho Chang-hyun | Video Editing: Choi Hye-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.