Coupang, affiliates found to have committed 205 workplace safety violations

The violations covered both reporting failures and physical safety problems. Inspectors found suspected accident concealment, missing or late accident reports, and failures to provide required health examinations. They also identified hazards inside logistics centers and delivery camps. These findings matter because they can delay treatment, hide dangerous conditions, and expose workers to preventable injuries or illness.

Concrete examples included conveyors without emergency-stop devices or covers. Companies also failed to prevent workers from being struck by forklifts. Other findings involved inadequate rest facilities and missing special health examinations for night workers. Inspectors said two workplace accidents may have been concealed after workers withdrew compensation applications following management contact or settlement payments.

The ministry found 205 Occupational Safety and Health Act violations across 105 sites. It plans criminal enforcement for 61 violations and administrative fines for 144. It will also press Coupang and its affiliates to improve sorting, loading, delivery arrangements, workloads, and working hours.

The inspection uncovered 205 violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. This was not a single-site problem. Officials examined 105 logistics centers and delivery camps connected to Coupang Fulfillment Services, and Coupang Logistics Services. The scale shows that the investigation covered warehousing, packaging, and delivery operations rather than one isolated workplace.

The ministry divided the findings into two enforcement paths. Sixty-one violations will face criminal enforcement. The remaining 144 violations will receive administrative penalties. Those fines total about 1.96 billion won, or approximately $1.48 million. Separate findings on 25 missing or late accident reports are expected to produce about 170 million won in fines.

The ministry launched the fact-finding effort early this year after allegations from liberal lawmakers and media reports. It also found labor-law violations involving Coupang’s performance improvement program. Officials said the companies must correct safety problems and improve working conditions, workloads, and hours.

A suspected workplace accident cover-up occurs when actions prevent an injury from entering the official reporting and compensation system. That matters because unreported accidents can deny workers proper treatment and compensation. It also hides evidence about workplace hazards. Without that information, authorities and employers may miss the cause and fail to prevent another accident.

Inspectors identified two suspected cases. In one, a worker was induced to withdraw an application for workers’ compensation medical benefits after measures that included a settlement payment. In the other, a worker withdrew a similar application after meeting management. The required workplace accident report was not submitted in that case.

The ministry opened criminal investigations into both cases. The article does not state the final outcome of those investigations. It does show why officials are treating the conduct seriously: concealment can block both worker support and efforts to identify dangerous conditions.

Employers must submit a workplace accident report within one month when an injury or illness requires at least three days away from work. The deadline creates an official record and gives authorities a way to examine what happened. It also helps ensure that affected workers can pursue proper treatment and compensation.

At Coupang sites, inspectors found 25 missing or late accident reports. Those cases are expected to result in about 170 million won in administrative fines. Separately, inspectors opened criminal investigations into two suspected cases in which workers withdrew workers’ compensation applications after management contact or a settlement payment, and a required report was not filed in one case.

Timely reporting matters beyond paperwork. The labor minister said concealment or nonreporting hinders efforts to determine accident causes and identify hazards. The ministry therefore plans enforcement and will push the companies to correct unsafe conditions, reduce workloads and hours, and prevent further violations.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor investigated the companies’ workplaces and identified violations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. It can pursue criminal enforcement for serious findings and impose administrative fines for other violations. The ministry also conducts labor inspections and issues corrective orders when employment practices breach labor law.

The safety investigation covered Coupang Fulfillment Services, and Coupang Logistics Services. Inspectors found 205 Occupational Safety and Health Act violations. The ministry said 61 would face criminal enforcement, while 144 would draw administrative fines totaling about 1.96 billion won. It also opened criminal investigations into two suspected accident-concealment cases.

A separate labor inspection found that Coupang omitted key provisions of its performance improvement program from its employment rules. The ministry said this violated the Labor Standards Act. It plans a corrective order and a fine. The article also says one 2020 death case will go to prosecutors with a recommendation against indictment because the limitation period expired.

The article highlights several connected risks: overwork, night shifts, excessive workloads, and hazards in logistics operations. Night work and long hours can reduce alertness and recovery time. Heavy targets can encourage faster movements or skipped precautions. In warehouses, conveyors, forklifts, sorting areas, and loading operations add risks when safeguards or safe routes are missing.

The inspection found conveyors without emergency-stop devices or covers. It also found inadequate measures to prevent workers from being struck by forklifts. These hazards become more difficult to manage when workers are tired or working under intense delivery pressure. The ministry also found missing special health examinations for night workers, which are designed to monitor potential health effects.

After a 2024 inspection, affiliates separated vehicle and pedestrian routes and automated sorting, but some recommended measures remained incomplete. The ministry will again press the companies to improve sorting and loading conditions and revise delivery arrangements to reduce workloads and work hours.

Dangerous workplaces need practical safeguards that prevent contact with moving equipment and vehicles. The article identifies emergency-stop devices and covers for conveyors, along with measures that keep forklifts from striking workers. Employers also need safe arrangements for sorting, loading, and traffic movement. These controls matter because they reduce exposure before an incident occurs.

Inspectors found failures in several of these areas. Some conveyors lacked emergency stops or covers, and companies had not adequately prevented forklift strikes. After a 2024 inspection, affiliates separated vehicle and pedestrian routes and automated sorting, but other recommended protections remained incomplete. Inspectors also found deficiencies in rest-facility installation and management.

Health protection is part of workplace safety. Night workers must receive mandatory special health examinations, yet inspectors found failures to provide them. The ministry will press the companies to improve conditions, reduce workloads and hours, and complete corrective measures. The article presents these protections as employer responsibilities, not optional extras.