Police Arrest Four Workers Attempting to Enter Coupang Headquarters

Coupang labor union officials were detained by police on Thursday while attempting to enter the company's headquarters in Songpa-gu, Seoul, demanding a meeting with Coupang CEO Park Dae-jun.

Seoul Songpa Police Station arrested four people, including Coupang workers and Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union (KPTU) activists, on charges of obstruction of business by force, police said.

Members of the KPTU Coupang Logistics Center chapter staged a surprise protest in the lobby of Coupang headquarters at around 2 p.m. They demanded that Coupang sign a collective agreement with the union to guarantee rest breaks for workers. They also called for Coupang Chairman Bom Kim to take responsibility for the recent large-scale personal data breach.

The KPTU criticized the police response in a statement. "It is a reasonable demand for the union to request a meeting with representatives of Coupang, a company that has repeatedly caused serious social problems," the union said. "It is difficult to understand why police hauled away the workers as if disposing of them."