Why would he be afraid of having a record of his meetings or instructions?
log date: 2026-1-23
"Beom-seok Gihm (김범석, then CEO) was extremely cautious by ensuring that Coupang Korea's business activities weren't directly linked to him. To avoid legal risks, whenever he started a new group chat or held a meeting on a sensitive topic, he used Signal (a secure messenger app) outside of Coupang's system, rather than emails or the company's internal messaging app.
Signal's message deletion feature prevented chat records from remaining on individual mobile phones. Therefore, even if the police or regulators raided Coupang's offices and computers, they would not be able to find any chat history."
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| Coupang Chairman amassed enormous wealth by manipulating management and exploiting employees. A whistleblower reveals that Bom Kim has demanded to use profanity, show no tolerance, and escalate conflicts. He also says that Bom Kim does similar behaviours.- In-Depth 60 Minutes (추적60분) KBS |
On January 23, 2026, South Korea's public broadcaster KBS investigative reporting program 'In-Depth 60 Minutes(추적60분) which has aired for over 40 years, reported the findings from the investigation based on tips from insiders at Coupang.
Apparently, Coupang Chairman Bom Kim (김범석, Beom Seok Gihm) has run the company arbitrarily, acting like an emperor, and his management style is far more ruthless than his reputation suggests.
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| By In-Depth 60 Minutes (추적60분) KBS on 2026-1-23 https://youtu.be/DuhHzhpwZlM |
Testimonies of current and former Coupang Korea employees revealed that Coupang has been neither a normal corporation nor one that pursued sound corporate governance.
Bom Kim has repeatedly expressed his ambition to make Coupang Korea a dispensable player in the Korean logistics industry.
Notwithstanding, Coupang's management was solely focused on preventing Chairman Bom Kim from being punished for his unlawful business practices, according to former employees who exposed Coupang's corruptive malpractices.
A confidential document, the so-called Hermes Report detailing the company's restructuring plan, has been made public.
Hermes Report calls for the company to be split to minimize unionization and reduce the scope of business responsibilities of the CEO.
Since 2015 when this document was written, Coupang has established several subsidiaries to manage its delivery and logistics operations separately.
While these subsidiaries appear to be independent companies, they remain a single entity with Bom Kim holding all decision-making authority.
This is merely a sham, designed to provide legal protection and meet regulatory requirements, because Bom Kim structurally dominates Coupang by monopolizing voting rights. Bom Kim effectively controls Coupang by controlling voting rights at the general shareholders' meeting.
Contrary to Bom Kim's claims of focusing on global management, over 90% of Coupang's revenue comes from South Korea. Coupang Korea's "Rocket Delivery" system which operates 24/7 has made him a fortune.
The aforementioned system, however, is unacceptable in advanced countries that value workers rights, fair business practices, and people-centered management.
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| The Hermes report argues that the company should be broken up to minimize unionization and reduce the CEO's management responsibilities. (Source: KBS) |
Coupang Korea exploited loopholes in labour laws to perpetuate poor working conditions, built the notorious Rocket Delivery system, and reaped massive profits through irresponsible outsourcing.
Any company in the world can emulate the Coupang's success story.
How could a company that treats workers like slaves, exploits suppliers, outsources 90% of its deliveries to subcontractors, and relies solely on profit not be profitable?
Coupang's sales growth wasn't due to Bom Kim's management skills. Its surged up net profit was the result of the sweat and tears of employees who endured harsh working conditions and the sacrifices of its suppliers who suffered massive losses.
It seems that he deceived investors into believing that he possessed exceptional management skills and those foolish investors ultimately ended up funding Coupang's corporate crimes.
Over 2,000 employees working at Coupang Korea's logistics facilities known as "camps" were transported by ambulance to emergency rooms suffering from convulsions/seizures, high fevers, difficulty breathing, chest pain, loss of consciousness, palpitations, cardiac arrest, amputations, abrasions, bruises, mental disorders, general weakness and other pain.
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| Records of ambulances transporting employees working at Coupang Korea camps to emergency rooms over the past 10 years have been provided by the National Fire Agency. These records, totaling approximately 2,000, show each symptom and the time of each occurrence. Source: In-Depth 60 Minutes, KBS https://youtu.be/DuhHzhpwZlM |
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| Records show that ambulances were dispatched after employees collapsed with symptoms of convulsions/seizures and high fevers. |
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| Records show that ambulances were dispatched after employees collapsed with symptoms of loss of consciousness. |
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| Records show that ambulances were dispatched after employees collapsed with symptoms of difficulty breathing. |
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| Records show that ambulances were dispatched after employees collapsed with symptoms of chest pain. |
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| A partial list of ambulances dispatched to emergency rooms over the past decade for Coupang Korea Camp employees experiencing cardiac arrest. During this period, Coupang Korea Camps have made over 2,000 ambulance calls for employees collapsed. Source: The National Fire Agency and KBS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuhHzhpwZlM |
Besides Coupang Korea, what other company in which country would overwork over 2,000 employees to the point where they collapse, end up in the emergency room, and ultimately die?
A former Coupang Korea testified that one even had to hide its illness. "One morning in mid-2019, I collapsed at my desk in the Coupang office and was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital and diagnosed with a stroke. However, an employee told me not to tell out loud about my stroke because it would stress the employer out and make me a potential legal risk."
Testimonies continued that there were cases where ambulances weren't called even after accidents.
"When a manager instructed the injured person to move to a room, I suggested to call 911. However, the manager said, "No, we won't because the system requires reporting to higher-ups whenever calling an ambulance." Managers are reluctant to call one.
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| Seung-yong Oh (오승용) a Coupang Korea employee who died last year (2025-11-10), was reportedly forced to work 89 hours a week. His father had passed away shortly before his death, and yet, Seung-yong was allowed to take only one day off. In South Korea, employees are entitled to five days of paid leave for a father's funeral. (Source: In-Depth 60 Minutes, KBS https://youtu.be/DuhHzhpwZlM ) |
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| The late Seung-yong Oh was forced to work eight consecutive days, 12-hour shifts including overtime. As shown in the image below, Seung-yong used to receive threatening text messages from his team lead who wouldn't approve his request to take a day off. By In-Depth 60 Minutes, KBS https://youtu.be/DuhHzhpwZlM |
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| A threatening text message demanding that Seung-yong (오승용) will have to find another job if he wants a day off, sent by a team lead at Coupang Korea. By In-Depth 60 Minutes, KBS https://youtu.be/DuhHzhpwZlM |
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| Seung-yong Oh (오승용) a 32-year-old delivery truck driver for Coupang Korea, was forced to return to work without rest after his father's funeral. He died while driving a Rocket Delivery truck. |
"A system is in place to monitor each employee's work performance. If a worker slows down, a manager rushes over and urges them to speed up. Managers stress out employees who can't keep up with their colleagues, warning them, 'You are a burden to everyone else.'"
An employee reportedly asked her manager, "How can I work faster?"
The manager replied, "Imagine a mad dog chasing you. That will make you work faster."
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| Coupang Korea pays its delivery workers 700 won to deliver a three-seater sofa alone. It appears that wages commensurate with the labour are not being paid. |
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| In October 2020, Deok-june Jahng (장덕준) who died from overwork at a Coupang logistics center, was captured on surveillance camera, clutching his chest in distress. A whistleblower revealed that Coupang destroyed the evidence, claimed the image showed him holding a walkie-talkie and attributed his death to excessive dieting. (Source: In-Depth 60 Minutes, KBS https://youtu.be/DuhHzhpwZlM ) |
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| The mother of Coupang victim Deok-june Jahng (장덕준) bravely fought against the giant corporation to prove that her son's death was due to Coupang's vicious management practices. |
According to the whistleblower, Bom Kim apparently believed that successfully completing an IPO before any major problems arose would allow him to escape the confines of Korean law, and that by putting forward an avatar-like CEO and residing outside of South Korea, he could resolve the legal issues by paying a large sum to the law firm Kim & Chang.
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| The red portion is a message sent by Bom Kim. His messages contained instructions to deny that the temporary worker's death was Coupang's fault. It appears to have been directed to thoroughly destroy all evidence of the worker's hard work. By In-Depth 60 Minutes, KBS https://youtu.be/DuhHzhpwZlM |
Insiders testified that Coupang Korea's abusive and exploitative management practices deteriorated rapidly after its listing on the New York Stock Exchange on March 11, 2021.
The South Korean government should have stopped Coupang's unlawful business practices long ago. While it's late, it's time to severely punish the tyranny of foreign companies like Coupang to protect its citizens.
p.s.
If Young Kim, the U.S. representative for California's 40th congressional district, continues to defend Coupang that has destroyed Korean society through unethical and irresponsible management, in return for lobbying, she should be defeated in the next election.
A politician who cannot discern right from wrong is unfit for high office. Her district is home to a significant Korean-American population. Rep. Young Kim has created the false impression among the public that the Korean government is oppressing Coupang without justification in using the slogan of protecting domestic companies. This is a deeply immoral and unethical political act.
Coupang has expanded its business by pretending to be a Korean company while engaging in various destructive acts in Korean society. Under the guise of lobbying, they have committed crimes tantamount to bribery and have faced no punishment.
If corrupt officials had not turned a blind eye to Coupang's problems years ago, the company would have already closed in South Korea. President Lee's administration is responding to fulfill its fundamental duty to protect the safety and livelihoods of its citizens.
Rep. Young Kim will be remembered for her fatal mistake in downplaying an issue that threatens the livelihoods and safety of tens of thousands of South Korean families and using it as a political stunt.
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