South Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labor found 206 violations in a wide-ranging inspection of Coupang affiliates, with 61 cases slated for judicial action and 145 subject to administrative fines. The ministry said the review covered occupational safety and employment practices following allegations involving concealed workplace injuries, illegal labor dispatching and other labor-law breaches.

Safety inspections began in March and covered 105 logistics centers and delivery camps operated by Coupang, Coupang Fulfillment Services and Coupang Logistics Services. Officials identified 205 occupational safety and health violations, including suspected efforts to induce workers to withdraw industrial accident claims and failures to report qualifying injuries within the required period. The ministry plans administrative fines totaling about 1.96 billion won for 144 safety violations.

Among the findings were 25 cases in which industrial accident investigation reports were not submitted or were filed late. Inspectors also identified 178 other safety violations. The ministry said it would investigate 59 cases involving hazards such as missing conveyor safeguards and inadequate measures to prevent forklift collisions, while imposing fines for violations that included failures to provide special health examinations for night workers and improperly maintained rest facilities.

The review found that Coupang affiliates had implemented some recommendations from a 2024 labor inspection, including separating vehicle and worker routes, introducing automated sorting equipment and offering psychological counseling. However, officials said further changes were needed to reduce workload during loading and reusable-bag handling and to shorten working time associated with the current three-round delivery system. The ministry also directed the companies to help workers seek industrial accident compensation without undue burden and improve near-miss reporting.

The inquiry also examined employment practices

In the employment-practices review, inspectors confirmed that Coupang operated a performance improvement program but found no dismissals resulting from it. They concluded that the program should have been included in the company’s employment rules because it applied across the workforce, and ordered corrective action with a planned fine. The ministry also confirmed that Coupang had maintained a list of certain former workers for hiring reference, but found no evidence that the list had been shared externally to obstruct employment at other companies.

Officials did not substantiate allegations of illegal dispatching between Coupang and Coupang Logistics Services, finding that each company directed its own workers and handled clearly separated delivery goods. A separate investigation into the 2020 death of a worker at Coupang Fulfillment’s Daegu center found that the company’s then-chief executive had issued inappropriate messages about the worker’s record and that company representatives analyzed surveillance footage by categorizing the worker’s activities. The ministry said criminal liability could not be pursued because the statute of limitations had expired, but related allegations of accident concealment remain under investigation.

Sites covered by safety inspections
105 logistics centers and delivery camps
Cases slated for judicial action
61 cases
Violations subject to planned administrative fines
145 violations