Coupang to Directly Employ 10,000 Youths from Provinces... "Expanding Investment for Regional Balanced Development"

'3 Trillion Won Investment' Accelerates Additional Logistics Network Construction
8 Out of 10 Jobs Created in Regional Areas
Expected to Alleviate Metropolitan Concentration and Polarization

Coupang is significantly increasing its investment in logistics infrastructure in regional areas. Based on additional logistics infrastructure investment plans, the company intends to newly hire up to 10,000 people, including young adults in their 20s, across the country, including regions experiencing population decline. With a substantial increase in directly employed personnel nationwide, it is expected to alleviate the job polarization between Seoul and regional areas and contribute to revitalizing local economies and balanced regional development.

3 Trillion Won Investment by 2026... Full-Scale from This Month

According to Coupang's plan to invest more than 3 trillion won in nationwide logistics infrastructure by 2026, the company announced on the 3rd that it will build and operate logistics facilities, including fulfillment centers (FCs), in nine regions by early next year. The expected number of directly employed personnel exceeds 10,000. Earlier in March, Coupang announced that it would invest over 3 trillion won by 2026 in logistics infrastructure and equipment and promote Rocket Delivery targeting a population of 50 million.

Next month, Coupang will complete and begin operating two FCs in Namdaejeon, Dong-gu, Daejeon, and Gwangju. The expected direct employment at these two newly completed FCs is about 3,300 people. The Cheonan FC in Chungnam, which began full operation last month, plans to hire 500 people. The Gyeongbuk Gimcheon FC and Ulsan Subhub (a logistics facility that sends products to delivery camps), each targeting 500 and 400 hires respectively, will begin construction in October. The Gyeongbuk Chilgok (400 people) Subhub will start operations within this year, and the Chungbuk Jecheon (500 people) FC will begin construction in the first half of next year. The Busan Gangseo-gu FC (3,000 people) and Gyeonggi Icheon FC (1,500 people) started construction in the second quarter of this year.

If Coupang's logistics investment plan is realized, the number of directly employed personnel related to delivery and logistics in non-Seoul areas is expected to increase significantly. As of the end of last year, about 96% (approximately 55,600 people) of Coupang's directly employed logistics and delivery personnel were working outside Seoul. If the regional direct employment increases by about 10,000 due to new logistics infrastructure investments, the number of employees in non-Seoul areas is expected to exceed 65,000.

Accordingly, the total directly employed workforce of Coupang and its logistics and delivery subsidiaries (Coupang Fulfillment Services and Coupang Logistics Services) will increase to about 80,000, with the proportion of employees working outside Seoul reaching 81%. More than eight out of ten jobs created by Coupang will be generated in non-Seoul regions.

Increasing Quality Jobs and Expanding Coupang Zones

Most of the nine regions where Coupang plans to invest are areas where the population has recently declined or stagnated due to low birth rates and other factors. For example, in Dong-gu, Daejeon, the youth employment rate is only in the low 40% range, and in Eomo-myeon, Gimcheon, the population is just over 4,000, highlighting the urgent need to build infrastructure to increase local employment. Gwangju and Ulsan also had the highest net population outflow rate (-0.6%) among 17 cities and provinces nationwide last year, with more people moving out than moving in.

Coupang expects that this regional logistics network investment will encourage young people to return to regional areas and increase female employment, thereby revitalizing local economies. In fact, in the first half of last year, more than 20,000 of Coupang's total employees were young adults aged 19 to 34, and about 48% of logistics and delivery workers were women.

This investment is also expected to expand Coupang zones (areas eligible for Rocket Delivery), including underserved island and mountainous regions. Starting in 2027, Coupang plans to expand free Rocket Delivery to about 230 cities, counties, and districts nationwide (out of a total of 260), including more than 60 population-declining areas designated by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (out of 89 total). Customers living in 'shopping deserts,' where it is difficult to obtain daily necessities and groceries, such as island and mountainous areas, will be able to enjoy free delivery benefits without unnecessary shipping fees.

Jung Yeon-seung, Dean of the Graduate School of Business at Dankook University, said, "While young people tend to concentrate in the Seoul metropolitan area where large company jobs are abundant, and there are few companies creating jobs in regional areas, Coupang's large-scale job creation focused on regional areas is very encouraging. It contributes to balanced regional development by supporting the domestic industry and manufacturing ecosystem, which desperately needs to revive and expand online sales channels amid severe polarization and regional extinction."