A Rocket Delivery person worked like a dog until he became the fuel himself
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| From a petition issued on 2024-7 for the Rocket Delivery worker death case |
"I am Geum-seok Jeong (정금석). My son, Seul-gi Jeong (정슬기), who worked as a Rocket Delivery person (driver) for Coupang for a year and two months, passed away suddenly last May (2024). The cause of his death was suspected ventricular fibrillation and myocardial infarction. He died from overwork.
A KakaoTalk message with the manager on Seul-gi's phone read, 'I'm working like a dog.'
My son passed away at the tender age of 41, leaving behind his wife and four children. Now, my eldest grandchild, a middle school freshman, is hearing that his father became the fuel for Rocket Delivery. How will my daughter-in-law and grandchildren, who have lost their husband and father, live on?" - by Geum-seok Jeong in the Petition for the Rocket Delivery worker death case
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| At 3 A.M. on July 30, 2024 South Korean lawmakers attempted to inspect the harsh working conditions at Coupang's camp, dubbed "the worst hell on earth," but were denied access. |
Rocket Delivery is the name of a delivery service that made Coupang a logistics giant in South Korea. Since its launch in 2014, it has been repeatedly cited as the cause of the deaths of 27 Coupang Korean workers.
July 30, 2024, Korean lawmaker Joo-young Gihm (김주영) a member of Environment and Labour Committee of National Assembly issued a press release. The following was to report on their visit to the late-night work site at Coupang's Namyangjoo 2nd Camp.
"At 3 A. M. this morning, nine members of the Democratic Party of Korea's Labour Respect and Practice National Assembly Members' Group and the Environment and Labour Committee visited Coupang's Namyangjoo 2nd Camp, where the late Seul-gi Jeong (정슬기) worked, to inspect the working conditions for late-night Rocket Delivery workers. However, Coupang blocked the main gate and refused the lawmakers entry."
"The 'camps' where sorting and delivery work takes place, are notorious for having the harshest working conditions within Coupang. The Namyangjoo 2nd camp, which we attempted to inspect this morning, is known as the worst hell for Coupang employees. Operated by Coupang CLS, the camp operates on a contract basis, with most employees hired through temporary agencies.
Numerous issues related to the camps within Coupang include illegal dispatching, fake 3.3 and the "cleansing system" which allows employers to fire workers at any time as pleased.
'Rocket Delivery' relies on late-night work, peaking at 3 A.M. as it's driving force. However, this late-night sorting task is extremely labor-intensive and often leads to delivery, resulting in long working hours that lead to overwork and even fatalities.
As representatives of the people and responsible for protecting the lives and safety of all citizens, it is our duty as National Assembly members to personally witness Coupang's poor working conditions and raise awareness of their severity."
"We didn't simply 'visit' but accompanied a team of experts including an industrial safety and labour inspector from the Ministry of Employment and Labour, to closely examine the working environment and analyze the specific causes of numerous workplace deaths. The specialized measuring equipment was brought along to confirm the temperature and humidity in workplace."
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| Source: Newstapa |
Indeed, Coupang's working conditions were appalling, as witnessed and experienced firsthand by a reporter who previously investigated workplace safety through undercover reporting.
The temperature inside Coupang's warehouses soared to 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) and humidity exceeded 87%, yet Coupang provided employees with only two small fans for cooling.
An investigation into paid break times for workers at four Coupang warehouses revealed similar violations.
Two warehouses had no paid breaks at all while others received only 10 minutes of paid breaks per day. Coupang managers ignored the break times stipulated in their employment contracts and pressured employees to work faster.
If you're curious about the situation at other Korean companies, they generally follow the paid break provisions stipulated by Korean Labour law. For instance, warehouses for the postal service provide a 15-minute paid break every two hours.
"We (Korean lawmakers) wanted to thoroughly inspect the site at 3:30 A.M. when work intensity was at its peak. We even received prior permission from Coupang to enter. However, upon arriving, Coupang insisted that the site was extremely crowded and only a small number of people could enter. The excuse that all 20 people entering at once could pose a safety risk was nothing more than an excuse to buy time. Head of the Coupang CLS did not even come to the site in person, only giving instructions over the phone, and ultimately refused our visit."
"What is Coupang hiding?" asked the lawmaker Joo-young Gihm in his press release.
So far, 27 Coupang employees have lost their lives in the workplace and the causes of their deaths are known to be related to Rocket Deliveries.
Coupang workers continue to collapse and die in the workplace, and testimonies of its unsafe working conditions continue to emerge. Despite this, the company has, until recently, blocked on-site investigations by lawmakers representing the people. This is by no means normal corporate behaviour.
According to the KBS News reporting, following the recent Coupang customer data leak, some consumers are canceling their subscriptions. However, criticism is raised that Coupang's deceptive marketing strategy, known as "dark patterns," which make it easy to sign up but difficult to cancel, infringes consumers' right to choose.
The fact that Coupang added a clause to Article 38, Section 7 of its Terms of Service last year standing, "Coupang is not responsible for any damages arising from any illegal access or use of the server by a third party," was revealed after the recent Coupang personal information leak and sparked controversy.
Although Article 38, Section 8 of the Terms of Service stipulates, "Nevertheless, the company is liable for damages caused by the company's intentional or gross negligence," the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) Korea is reportedly investigating whether the revised terms violate the Act on the Regulation of Terms and Conditions.
In addition, Coupang is reportedly lending money to its merchants at interest rates ranging from 8.9% to as high as 18.9% per annum.
The Financial Supervisory Service Korea is conducting an on-site investigation into the possibility of illegal sales practices, including "bundling" whereby merchants are forced to use Coupang's high-interest loan products in exchange for increased supply volume.
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