A dialog between then-Coupang Corp. CEO Kim Bom-suk and the corporate’s chief privateness officer on the time.
Kim Bom-suk, the CEO of Coupang Inc., was discovered to have issued instructions to downplay the intensive working circumstances confronted by Jang Deok-jun, a 27-year-old employee at a Coupang distribution heart who died of a coronary heart assault on Oct. 12, 2020.
Observers are alleging that Kim’s domineering performed a component in Coupang’s efforts to keep away from assuming accountability for overwork-related deaths after establishing a system of intensive late-night labor.
On Wednesday, the Hankyoreh obtained a replica of an October 2020 dialog on the messenger Sign between Kim and a former Coupang chief privateness officer, who’s a US nationwide. Forward of a Nationwide Meeting parliamentary audit, Kim, who was CEO of Coupang Korea on the time, issued instructions to emphasise solely the closed-circuit tv footage of Jang that might profit the corporate’s case.
On the time, the Nationwide Meeting Surroundings & Labor Committee had chosen Coupang Achievement Providers CEO Eum Sung-hwan to testify on the audit, amid allegations that the reason for Jang’s loss of life was the intensive labor that Jang carried out at CFS’ Chilgok logistics heart in Daegu, which concerned working from 7 pm to 4 am 5 to 6 nights every week.
A dialog between then-Coupang Corp. CEO Kim Bom-suk and the corporate’s chief privateness officer on the time.
Within the messenger dialog, Kim could be seen rebuking the CPO, stressing that “[t]his just isn’t what we want.”
“This isn’t going to assist us within the Nationwide Meeting TOMORROW MORNING!” he provides. His remarks voiced robust disgruntlement over an obvious report he’d acquired from Coupang employees on the findings from footage of Jang working.
When the CPO defined that the main points had been reviewed by key supervisors, Kim insisted that the assessment ought to be redone. Particularly, he talked about “Consuming water, Ready round/sign-in, Socializing/standing round, Shifting empty totes/automobiles/jacks, At desk/checking PDA, Off digital camera/unaccounted for, Strolling with no load, Toilet.” This steered that he hoped to seek out footage of Jang engaged in these actions so as to argue that he had not been working arduous.
Kim additionally confused, “Make certain no notes about [Jang] working arduous are retained!”
The CPO replied that such data was not within the notes however had solely been recorded “within the verbal and a few sign updates,” once more referring to the messenger app Sign.
Kim replied, “Why would he be a tough employee!? That doesn’t make any sense!!!”
The CPO answered that this was “not MY thesis — it was the remark of a number of folks reviewing the movies.”
Kim replied, “It doesn’t make sense, they’re hourly employees! Paid per hour, not efficiency!” referring to achievement heart staff.
Reached for remark, Coupang claimed {that a} “former government who was dismissed 5 years in the past [in 2020] is unilaterally making distorted claims out of disgruntlement,” whereas stressing that the corporate “received in each the primary and second trials within the associated authorized case.” The previous CPO is at present suing Coupang for wrongful termination.
By Park Tae-woo, employees reporter; Solar Dam-eun, employees reporter
Please direct questions or feedback to [english@hani.co.kr]
