[Exclusive] Even after Jang Deok-jun’s industrial accident… Coupang only announced “0 accidental deaths”

[Anchor]

It was revealed that Coupang, which is suspected of trying to downplay the overwork of the late Deokjun Jang, who died while working at Coupang, also did this.

Even though Mr. Jang died at work, it was reported to the U.S. financial authorities that no employee died in the accident.

Reporter Lee Do-yoon covered the story exclusively.

[Report]

Deokjun Jang died in October 2020 after working overtime at the logistics center.

In February 2021, the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service determined it to be an industrial accident.

In March of the same year, Coupang was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Mr. Jang's death occurred five months before the listing and was recognized as an industrial accident a month before.

We checked the 2021 annual report submitted by Coupang to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Coupang's safety system is described as the best in the world, and it states that there has not been a single accidental death to date.

The same is reported in 2022, when at least one person died at the distribution center.

What stands out is Coupang’s own classification method.

After distinguishing between 'work-related' and 'accident-related' deaths, it only stated that there were '0' accidental deaths, and did not mention work-related deaths at all.

Although disclosure of the number of deaths is not mandatory under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's disclosure regulations, Coupang used 'expression' in the report that could easily be perceived as indicating that there were no employee deaths.

[Son Dong-hu/American lawyer/Coupang class action lawsuit representative: "There is a high possibility that the disclosure could be evaluated as misleading to investors by setting the measurement criteria too narrowly and omitting important context..."]

If this annual report, called 10-K, is found to be a false or deceptive disclosure, you may be subject to not only civil but also criminal and administrative liability.

Over the past five years, Coupang has reported over 9,900 industrial accidents to the Korean government.

However, the U.S. public notice simply stated that there were no self-classified accidental deaths.

Coupang explained, “Up to that time, there have been no deaths due to industrial accidents at Coupang or its subsidiaries’ workplaces.”

The purpose of Mr. Jang Deok-Jun's industrial accident is that it was not an industrial accident.

This is Lee Do-yoon from KBS News.

Camera reporter: Ryu Jae-hyeon/Video editor: Kim Seon-young/Graphics: Yoo Geon-soo
 

Doyoon Lee (dobby@kbs.co.kr)

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[Exclusive] Even after Jang Deok-jun's industrial accident... Coupang only announced “0 accidental deaths” (link)