▲ This file photo, taken Jan. 29, 2026, shows Coupang's headquarters in southern Seoul. (Yonhap)

Coupang-worker death

Labor ministry launches inspection into alleged cover-up surrounding Coupang worker's death

SEOUL, March 16 (Yonhap) -- The labor ministry on Monday launched an inspection into allegations that major online retailer Coupang Corp. tried to cover up the circumstances surrounding the death of one of its workers.

Coupang, which already faces government scrutiny over a massive data leak, is suspected of disrupting a probe into a delivery worker's death in May 2024 by allegedly pressuring the worker's family not to file an industrial accident claim.

"An inspection will begin today into Coupang, which faces suspicions of an industrial accident cover-up and where a fatal accident happened recently," Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon said in a ministry meeting.

The inspection, which targets the retailer and its subsidiary Coupang Logistics Service, will also check for other possible violations of the industrial safety law.

It marks the ministry's latest inspection into Coupang after it began in January to look into allegations that the company created a "blacklist" of workers to restrict from rehiring.

The retailer also faces a separate probe over the data breach that affected more than 33 million accounts.

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