December 30 National Assembly Coupang Joint Hearing
Kim Yooseok, Vice President, Received Billions in Annual Salary
Rogers: "Lower Than Other Executives"
Fair Trade Commission: "We Will Reconsider Related Party Designation"
Harold Rogers, CEO of Coupang, addressed suspicions regarding the annual salary of Kim Yooseok, Vice President of Coupang and younger brother of Coupang Inc. Chairman Kim Beomseok, which reportedly amounted to around 3 billion won last year. Rogers stated, "For an executive of that level, his salary is actually on the lower end compared to other similar executives." This statement contradicts Coupang's previous stance that Vice President Kim Yooseok does not participate in the management of the Korean entity.
On December 30, Rogers appeared as a witness at the Coupang hearing convened by six standing committees of the National Assembly, led by the Democratic Party of Korea. Responding to a question from Assemblyman Kim Youngbae, who asked, "Last year, Vice President Kim received a total of 3 billion won, including his salary and the value of restricted stock units (RSUs). Do other executives also receive this kind of compensation?" Rogers replied as above.
Harold Rogers, CEO of Coupang, is speaking at the 'Coupang Joint Hearing' held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 29th. 2025.12.30 Photo by Kang Jinhyung
When Assemblyman Kim pressed further, asking, "Then is Kim Yooseok an executive?" Rogers answered, "He is not an executive at Coupang." When Assemblyman Kim pointed out, "Didn't you just say he was an executive?" Rogers clarified, "Kim Yooseok is an employee," adding, "On average, his salary is lower than that of other employees at his level."
Lee Jaegul, Vice President of Legal Affairs at Coupang, also commented, "Compared to others at a similar level, I do not consider his compensation to be particularly high," and added, "To my knowledge, he is not an executive."
There were also calls to reconsider the designation of Kim Yooseok as a related party. Assemblyman Kim pointed out, "Shouldn't this designation be reviewed?" In response, Joo Byungki, Chairman of the Fair Trade Commission, who also appeared as a witness, said, "In the past, we determined that he was not involved in management and thus met the exception criteria, but we will investigate this matter again."
Assemblyman Kim further criticized, "This is a typical case of exploiting legal loopholes, what we call 'beopkkuraji' (a portmanteau of 'law' and 'loach'), focusing only on managing shareholders and stock prices in the U.S. entity," and added, "Judging by the responses today, we can see how Coupang views the Korean public and government."
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