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The investigative team headed by Ahn Kwon-seop, looking into Coupang’s issue of unpaid severance pay, questioned Eom Sung-hwan, the former CEO of Coupang Fulfillment Service (CFS), as a suspect on the 26th.

The special counsel’s team said, “We have been treating Eom, the former representative, as a suspect since 10 a.m. today.” This is the first instance where Eom has been brought before the special counsel for interrogation. He is charged with breaching the Act on Guarantee of Workers’ Retirement Benefits.

Previously, the special counsel team carried out a search and seizure on Eom on the 23rd of last month. It was reported that the warrant identified him as a suspect in the case involving unpaid severance pay, violating the Act on Guarantee of Workers’ Retirement Benefits.

CFS is accused of not providing severance pay to employees following the revision of employment regulations in May 2023, which introduced less favorable terms for severance payments. In January of last year, the Bucheon Branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor declared the updated rules invalid and referred Eom to prosecutors for alleged violations of the Act on Guarantee of Workers’ Retirement Benefits.

Nevertheless, the Bucheon Branch of the Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office chose not to proceed with the case. Moon Ji-seok, the former chief prosecutor who managed the case, suggested that there was outside influence from higher-ups, including Eom Hee-jun, former head of the Bucheon Branch and a prosecutor in the Gwangju High Prosecutors’ Office, during the decision-making stage. Eom, the prosecutor, rejected the claims, stating they were “completely false,” and asked the special counsel to look into Moon for making false accusations.