Labor ministry vows stern measures against Coupang over alleged violations of weekly holiday pay

▲ Delivery trucks of e-commerce giant Coupang are parked, in this file photo from Nov. 30, 2025, after the U.S.-listed company confirmed personal information belonging to 33.7 million customers had been compromised. (Yonhap)

labor ministry-Coupang

Labor ministry vows stern measures against Coupang over alleged violations of weekly holiday pay

By Yi Wonju

SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- The labor ministry on Tuesday vowed to take stern action against online retailer Coupang Inc. amid allegations the company violated workplace laws on paid weekly holidays.

In a press release, the ministry said that even if workers were hired on a temporary basis, they should be regarded as regular employees if their employment status has continued without interruption.

"If the contracts of such temporary workers are repeatedly renewed on a day-to-day basis, employers must provide paid holidays," the ministry said.

Coupang Fulfillment Services (CFS), a logistics subsidiary of Coupang, revised its rules in 2024 to limit weekly holiday allowances to those working five or more days a week.

By law, employers are required to provide paid holiday hours to employees working at least 15 hours a week.

The labor ministry earlier instructed the company to change its revised rule after lawmakers voiced concerns during a parliamentary audit last year.

Despite the ministry's instruction, CFS did not revise the "five-day" condition and continued to deny providing weekly holiday allowances, according to a local broadcaster.

The ministry on Tuesday said it would step up monitoring of the company and warned of "zero tolerance" for further violations.

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