Rights commission calls for leniency for ex-Coupang workers indicted in 'blacklist' case

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission has requested prosecutors show leniency towards two ex-Coupang employees who are accused of leaking company data, according to a report on Thursday. These individuals first brought forward accusations in 2024, alleging that Coupang's logistics division, Coupang Fulfillment Services (CFS), had created a blacklist of over 16,000 individuals deemed persona non grata.

One of the whistleblowers had previously worked within CFS's human resources team. In response, Coupang contended that the information in question is genuine HR data and proceeded to file criminal complaints against the two whistleblowers, alleging unauthorized disclosure of company information. As public discontent surrounding Coupang's alleged practices escalated, the company's subsidiary apologized and subsequently withdrew the criminal complaints, yet the police investigation persisted, ultimately leading to the indictment of the two individuals.

This offense, violation of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, can be prosecuted irrespective of the circumstances.