[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Cheol-hyun] Coupang, which boasts "Rocket Delivery" as its strength, has decided to reacquire its courier business license. Coupang had voluntarily returned this license last year, drawing attention to the background of this move. Industry insiders interpret this as a strategy to strengthen competitiveness in the open market and expand new revenue sources.
According to related industry sources on the 29th, Coupang's logistics subsidiary, Coupang Logistics, recently submitted an application for a freight motor vehicle transportation business license to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. If this license is obtained, Coupang will be able to operate a courier business delivering not only products it directly purchases but also products from external companies. Coupang had returned the license last year, judging that there were limits to handling external courier tasks due to a surge in internal volume. Courier business operators are required to maintain a certain portion of external volume in addition to internal volume.
Industry experts believe that since Coupang has a nationwide delivery network, it will be able to compete with existing operators if it enters the courier business. It could also take charge of deliveries for open market vendors who currently use external courier companies, thereby enhancing competitiveness.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
