Coupang rejects gov’t request to hire more non-Korean couriers

It was revealed Friday that Coupang has rejected a recommendation from the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) to increase the hiring of non-Korean delivery workers.

According to the government agency’s disclosure, a foreign applicant for a courier position at Coupang was barred from taking a driving test in 2022 because of his nationality.

After receiving his petition, the NHRCK advised Coupang last January not to exclude permanent residents from recruitment. As the e-commerce firm transferred its delivery operations to its subsidiary, Coupang Logistics Services (CLS), the commission sent the same recommendation to the unit’s chief executive.

However, CLS later said it had no plans to hire more foreign couriers, citing communication issues with non-Korean workers, their unfamiliarity with Korean geography and the need to protect jobs for Korean citizens. The company noted it had hired a small number of non-Korean workers after receiving the recommendation.

The NHRCK deemed the response discriminatory and decided to make the rejection public.

“It is questionable whether delivery workers need fluency in Korean,” the commission said. “Foreign applicants who pass the company’s driving test appear qualified for the job, and it is unreasonable to completely ban non-Korean employees under the pretext of securing good jobs for Korean nationals.”

Despite its reluctance to employ foreigners in delivery work, Coupang has relied heavily on Chinese nationals in its programming operations. Its recent data breach, which affected at least 33.7 million users, was allegedly caused by a Chinese programmer who later left the company.

Coupang founder Kim Bom-suk has also described himself as the head of a global enterprise when declining to appear before the National Assembly for questioning.