Coupang interim CEO tells Assembly he would do delivery work to understand employees' demands

Harold Rogers, interim CEO of e-commerce company Coupang, said Wednesday he would take part in delivery work himself to better understand the demands placed on delivery workers.

Harold Rogers, interim Coupang CEO, speaks at the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee in western Seoul on Dec. 31. [YONHAP]

Harold Rogers, interim CEO of e-commerce company Coupang, said Wednesday he would take part in delivery work himself to better understand the demands placed on delivery workers, following a lawmaker's criticism over the company’s handling of delivery workers’ workloads . Rogers made the remark during a hearing at the National Assembly in western Seoul after Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker Yeom Tae-young said, “To understand the difficulty of night delivery work, why don’t you work at a logistics center with them.”

Rogers said he would join delivery work to better understand the job and noted that he had done similar work before, adding that he hoped Yeom would take part as well.

Rogers also addressed Coupang’s recently announced compensation plan in response to a large-scale data breach, saying the plan will not include any additional conditions.

Delivery trucks are parked at a Coupang logistics center in Seoul on Dec. 28. [NEWS1]

When DP lawmaker Hwang Jung-a asked whether the company planned to include a clause barring users from pursuing civil or criminal lawsuits, Rogers replied that the vouchers would come with no such conditions. Rogers said the company would not use the compensation plan to try to lower the amount in damages if users file civil lawsuits in the future. He also dismissed speculation that Coupang would include a clause preventing users from filing civil or criminal claims after using the vouchers.

Coupang plans to issue four types of vouchers worth a total of 50,000 won ($35) per customer to compensate users affected by the breach. The vouchers are split into categories: 5,000-won vouchers for all Coupang products, 5,000-won Coupang Eats vouchers, 20,000-won Coupang Travel vouchers and 20,000‑won R.LUX vouchers.

At Wednesday's hearing, DP lawmakers sharply criticized Rogers’s tone and responses.

Rep. Chung Il‑young accused Rogers of losing his temper and slamming a desk during questioning on Tuesday, calling his conduct “absurd and arrogant.”

"If you plan to answer like that and disrespect the National Assembly, government and people, then leave Korea," Chung said.

Rep. Kim Young‑bae referenced Rogers’s comment, saying, “Enough,” on Tuesday and added, “That is not something a witness should say.” The representative said, “He maintained a combative attitude, and he must apologize before we begin.”

Harold Rogers, interim Coupang CEO, right, speaks at the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee in western Seoul on Dec. 31. [LIM HYUN-DONG]

During Tuesday’s hearing, Rogers grew visibly agitated when questioned about the use of the word “false” in Coupang’s apology statement. He said misinformation had spread suggesting the company was not cooperating with the Korean government and pushed back against the implication that the company had acted unilaterally.

He also banged the table with his finger during questioning. When Rep. Chung told him to stop, Rogers visibly bristled and replied, “Enough.”

As Choi Min-hee, chair of Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, and other members repeatedly cut him off for giving off-topic answers, Rogers raised his voice and demanded to know why lawmakers had called him as a witness if they would not allow him to respond.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY KIM JI-HYE [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]