South Korean labor ministry to prosecute Coupang over 205 safety breaches and alleged accident cover-ups

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced Thursday that it will initiate criminal enforcement against Coupang and its subsidiaries after inspections identified 205 breaches of the Occupational Safety and Health Act at 105 logistics centers and delivery camps. Sixty-one violations will be pursued criminally, while the remaining 144 will incur administrative fines totalling roughly 1.96 billion won. Inspectors also uncovered two instances where workers were induced to abandon workers’-compensation claims and 25 cases of delayed or absent accident reports, prompting separate criminal investigations.

Additional infractions included missing conveyor safeguards, inadequate forklift protection, and failure to provide required health checks for night-shift staff. Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon stressed that concealment of accidents hampers injury treatment and hazard mitigation, urging Coupang to overhaul its workload, night-shift practices, and overall safety culture. The investigation covered Coupang, Coupang Fulfillment Services, and Coupang Logistics Services, following earlier accusations by liberal lawmakers and media reports, including a 2020 death of a worker named Jang at the Daegu fulfillment center.