December 30 National Assembly Coupang Joint Hearing
Rogers and Former CEO Park Daejun Offer "Sincere Apologies" to Families of Jang Deokjun and Oh Seungryong
On Industrial Accident Cover-Up Allegations: "Authenticity Not Confirmed"
Harold Rogers, CEO of Coupang, and former CEO Park Daejun both stated, "We take full responsibility," and expressed their sincere apologies for the death of Coupang logistics center worker Jang Deokjun in 2020. However, when asked about allegations that Coupang had downplayed the extent of Jang Deokjun's overwork to conceal the industrial accident, they avoided a direct answer, saying, "The veracity of these claims has not been confirmed."
On December 30, Rogers appeared as a witness at a Coupang hearing held by six standing committees of the National Assembly, led by the Democratic Party of Korea. He gave this response to questions from Assemblyman Lee Yongwoo regarding the alleged cover-up of Jang Deokjun's industrial accident.
Assemblyman Lee inquired about an incident on October 23, 2020, after Jang Deokjun's death, when Coupang's legal team sent an urgent email to Rogers asking whether to submit requested materials to the Ministry of Employment and Labor. Rogers had replied, "Is it necessary to specify any key points about how easy this work is? Emphasize that it does not impose any physical burden." Lee questioned Rogers about the intent behind this response.
In response, Rogers stated, "This document was submitted by an employee who was terminated for workplace harassment," and added, "The authenticity of the document has not been verified at all."
When claims were raised that Jang Deokjun had suffered from overwork, walking 50,000 steps per day, and that Coupang had allegedly refuted this by having other workers perform routine tasks and reach only 20,000 steps on pedometers, former CEO Park Daejun said, "An industrial accident was recognized at the time, and we accepted that decision. I feel a heavy sense of responsibility for Jang Deokjun, and I personally apologized to his mother last year. I would like to take this opportunity to apologize once again." Rogers also stated, "We take full responsibility," and added, "I sincerely apologize for his death."
Daejun Park, CEO of Coupang, appeared at the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee on the 3rd to respond to lawmakers' inquiries regarding the recent personal information leak at Coupang. On the right is Brett Mattis, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of Coupang. 2025.12.3 Photo by Hyunmin Kim
At the hearing, Jang Deokjun's mother, Park Misuk, and Oh Hyeri, the sister of Oh Seungryong, who died in a dawn delivery accident in November, attended as observers.
Park Misuk said, "I have spent over four years dealing with industrial accident applications and civil lawsuits, without even having time to grieve for Deokjun's death. I spent a year living with my son in the CCTV footage, analyzing every moment of his work and counting his steps to uncover the truth." She continued, "I am here today because I just received an order to vacate my home by December 30. I am about to be thrown out onto the street. Even so, I cannot remain silent because I am so angry and resentful, and I cannot forgive. Please, catch Beomseok Kim."
Oh Hyeri said, "After my brother lost our father, he took just one day off before returning to work, and died in an accident at 3:10 a.m. the next day. Not a single Coupang employee came to the funeral, and to this day, there has been no contact or acknowledgment. Is it so difficult to apologize?" She added, "My brother left behind two children and a wife. The eldest has a severe disability, and with my brother's death, the family's livelihood has been cut off."
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