Labor ministry vows stern measures against Coupang over alleged violations of weekly holiday pay
Delivery trucks of e-commerce giant Coupang are parked after the U.S.-listed company confirmed personal information belonging to 33.7 million customers had been compromised, Dec. 14, 2025. Yonhap
The labor ministry on Tuesday vowed to take stern action against online retailer Coupang 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.