Coupang faces allegations of manipulating employees’ work hours

Korean laws forbid workers from working more than 52 hours per week.

Coupang is facing accusations from a government official that it has been manipulating the working hours of employees to bypass the 52-hour workweek policy whilst keeping the working hours of employees in check, Korea Bizwire reported.

Rep. Yun Jun-byeong of the ruling Democratic Party claimed during government inspections of the Ministry of Employment and Labor and its sub-agencies that Coupang was using an application called "Coupunch" that notifies employees to return once they exceed 52 hours of work. He said the app manipulated overtime to fit within the 52-hour limit.

The Labor Standards Act is an imperative provision designed to protect labourers, forbidding them from working more than 52 hours per week even if there is an agreement between management and staff to work longer.

Coupang employees summoned at the inspection testified that the hours worked beyond the 52-hour limit “were gone”.

In response, Coupang said that “manipulating Coupunch violates company regulations and is strictly forbidden,” adding that “certain typos and errors while typing in working hours are corrected by the manager after being confirmed with the delivery personnel in question.”