A Rocket Delivery person worked like a dog until he became the fuel himself
log date: 2025-12-31
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| The Fair Trade Commission Korea is accepting anonymous tipoffs about illegal practices that force suppliers to lower their unit prices. Source: https://www.ftc.go.kr/www/contents.do?key=337 |
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| According to the testimony from a Newstapa reporter who worked undercover at Coupang, the employer failed to provide its employees with legally manadated breaks. In addition, employees working in warehouses with indoor temperatures reaching up to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) were denied access to water bottles, leading to dehydration and eventual death. Source: https://newstapa.org/article/Qpvya |
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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 14 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 died at the tender age of 41, leaving behind his wife and four children. Now, my eldest grandchild, a middle school freshman, hears people say that his father became the fuel himself 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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| This was to investigate the actual conditions of late-night work sites within Coupang 'camp'. 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 quotes are from the 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 that 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 and 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 tasks, resulting in long working hours, overwork, and even fatalities.
As representatives of the people and responsible for protecting the lives and safety of all citizens as National Assembly members, it is our duty to personally witness Coupang's poor working conditions and raise awareness of their severity."
"This wasn't a simple 'visit'. To closely examine the working environment and analyze the specific causes of numerous workplace deaths, we accompanied a team of experts including Occupational Safety and Health Inspectors from the Ministry of Employment and Labour. We also brought special measuring equipment to monitor the temperature and humidity in the workplace."
Reporter Joo-hwan Hong (홍주환) for Newstapa is a tenacious investigative journalist who has consistently covered and reported on Coupang's aberrant business practices with unlawful management.
In particular, the coverage that Hong reported on September 13, 2024 had a profound impact on Korean society.
The working conditions experienced by a Newstapa reporter who went undercover in a Coupang warehouse as a worker revealed why so many Coupang workers died and why countless others continue to suffer.
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| The workstation where the late Myung-gyu Gihm (김명규), a worker who died at Coupang's Shiheung 2nd Camp worked. This was where Coupang's "Fresh Bags" which carry fresh food were organized. According to the victim's family, on the day of his death, Myung-gyu was working alone in this location, performing a task that would have taken two employees. Source: https://newstapa.org/article/Qpvya |
Indeed, Coupang's working conditions were appalling as witnessed and experienced firsthand by a reporter who investigated workplace safety through undercover reporting.
The temperature inside Coupang's warehouses soared to over 32 degrees Celsius (over 90 degrees Fahrenheit) and humidity exceeded 87%, yet Coupang reportedly provided employees with only few small fans for cooling.
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| An interior view of Coupang's Jeju sub hub. Photo taken on August 21, 2024. Coupang temporary workers load boxes containing delivery items onto a conveyor belt. The worker whose face is not pixelated is a Newstapa reporter. Photo by Newstapa. |
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| Reported by Joo-hwan Hong, Newstapa - Source: https://newstapa.org/article/Qpvya |
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.
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| Source: Newstapa |
"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.
To date, 27 Coupang employees have lost their lives. More than ten workers died on the job and the rest died from accidents caused by overwork or died from conditions aggravated by excessively strenuous work or died from diseases deteriorated rapidly due to the stressful work environment. The main cause of their deaths is believed 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.
Following the revelation of Coupang's customer data leak, controversy erupted when it was revealed that a clause had been added to Article 38, Section 7, of its Terms of Service, stating, "Coupang is not responsible for damages resulting from a third party's illegal access or use of its servers."
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." However, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) Korea is reportedly investigating whether the revised terms violate the Act on the Regulation of Terms and Conditions.
Furthermore, 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, such as "bundling," which forces merchants to use Coupang's high-interest loan products in exchange for increased supply volume.
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