Bereaved family members denounce labor inspection results on Coupang

Family members of an industrial accident victim at Coupang expressed outrage on Friday at the results of a labor inspection into the e-commerce giant, alleging the ministry granted the company a free pass. According to the labor ministry's Thursday announcement, they declined to recommend a criminal investigation into allegations of concealing evidence surrounding the 2020 death of a Coupang logistics worker.

The unfortunate incident occurred after an employee worked through the night, leading to a suspected case of overwork resulting in a fatal acute myocardial infarction. The investigation revealed that Coupang's founder, Kim Bom-suk, had instructed to withhold records of the employee's hard work. However, the ministry argued that the statute of limitations for the case had expired.

In a press statement, family members denounced the labor ministry for "giving Coupang a free pass without a proper investigation." They further demanded that the state auditor initiate an inspection of the ministry, contending that the government's failure to conduct a thorough investigation into the Coupang case ultimately led to the expiration of the statute of limitations.