A civic group has accused Coupang of building a "revolving door cartel" by exploiting lax employment approval processes from the Government Ethics Committee and the Ministry of Personnel Management.
The Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ) held a press conference on the morning of the 11th at its hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul, titled "Exposing Coupang's Revolving Door Cartel and Filing Public Interest Audit Request Against the Government Ethics Committee and Ministry of Personnel Management."
According to CCEJ's analysis, the National Assembly Ethics Committee approved employment for 394 out of 405 retired public officials (97.28%) subject to employment review over the past six years. The remaining 11 who initially received employment restrictions reportedly applied for exemption reviews and were ultimately all approved. The Government Ethics Committee similarly approved employment for 4,727 out of 5,226 applicants, or 90.45%.
CCEJ stated that Coupang recruited 72 former officials from legislative, administrative, and judicial sectors through this system. The group claimed Coupang simultaneously hired three National Assembly aides for parliamentary audit purposes immediately after consecutive worker deaths in 2020, and promptly recruited former officials from the Korea Customs Service and Ministry of Food and Drug Safety following industrial accidents in 2021.
Following last year's massive data breach and industrial accident fatalities, Coupang allegedly engaged in "wholesale hiring" of six aides and working-level officials from the prosecution, police, Ministry of Employment and Labor, and Fair Trade Commission, according to CCEJ.
CCEJ alleged that Coupang built a powerful cartel with the recruited former officials. The group claimed 25 aides from key standing committees worked to block witness summons and regulations during parliamentary audits, while a CEO who formerly served as a high court judge and 22 officials from the National Police Agency headquarters and intellectual crime investigation units preemptively blocked legal risks.
Eight former officials from the Fair Trade Commission, Ministry of Employment and Labor, and National Tax Service allegedly handled neutralizing administrative investigations, while 17 individuals from the Presidential Office, Board of Audit and Inspection, and major media outlets controlled critical public opinion, CCEJ added.
CCEJ filed an audit request for alleged legal violations and dereliction of duty by the Government Ethics Committee and Ministry of Personnel Management, citing excessive improper employment approvals, dereliction through failure to exercise post-approval investigation authority, and negligent and passive administration by the Ministry of Personnel Management.
Coupang immediately refuted the claims. "According to a corporate analysis research institution, Coupang's hiring of retired public officials over the past four years ranks only seventh, which is less than half that of major domestic conglomerates," the company stated.
