Boycott against Coupang

E-commerce giant should improve safety, working conditions

A boycott against Coupang is gaining traction after a firefighter was killed in a fire at the e-commerce giant's warehouse in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. Consumers are expressing their anger at the company's blatant disregard of safety standards and a lack of effort to improve poor working conditions.

The fire, which broke out Thursday, was brought under control Saturday. It claimed the life of Kim Dong-shik, 52, a veteran firefighter of 27 years. The tragedy could have been prevented if Coupang had taken proper precautions.

Sprinklers were found to have failed to work for eight minutes right after the fire started. A manger allegedly turned their automatic activation function off as they often malfunctioned. Workers were prevented from carrying their cellphones for security reasons, making it difficult for them to immediately report the fire.

Worse still, the warehouse operators allegedly ignored fire reports by some workers. In a word, Coupang and its managers had no sense of emergency. The company had provided no prior education about fire prevention and workplace safety to its workers.

Investigators have yet to determine the exact cause of the conflagration. If found liable, Coupang's management will be unable to shirk its responsibility for neglecting preventive measures against fire and failing to abide by basic safety standards to protect its workers. In a word, the company had done nothing to improve its part in the poor working environments that plague the nation.

After media reports of the grim facts, a growing number of consumers are quitting their memberships of Coupang and deleting the company app from their smartphones. They are venting their shock and outrage over how the e-commerce giant with nearly 15 million customers is operated without any respect for workers' health and safety. Simply put, Coupang has been bent on maximizing its profit under the motto of "Rocket Delivery" by exploiting workers.

We cannot understand how Coupang was successfully listed on the New York Stock Exchange in March. The company hit the jackpot by raising $4.5 billion through its initial public offering (IPO). However, the company has already come under criticism for "causing" the death of nine workers last year.

Coupang has also invited the public's rage for ignoring COVID-19 restrictions and causing mass infections among its workers. It is lamentable that Coupang has abandoned its social responsibility. The company should be held to account for its outdated corporate culture. Its founder Kim Bom-suk decided to step down as chairman of the board of the firm, five hours after the fire. His decision is seen as a ploy to evade any responsibility for the incident. The company cannot survive if it continues to lose the people's confidence and trust.