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Coupang Inc. and Yuhan Corporation are both joining the lobby group called the Korea Enterprises Federation, which is one of the leading business lobby organizations in South Korea. The companies will soon be part of the federation representing more than 4,000 businesses in the country.
Processing of Membership Applications
As per The Korea Herald, the leading e-commerce firm and the Daebang-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul-headquartered pharmaceutical and chemical company have submitted their membership applications to the KEF, and sources in the industry revealed this on Monday, Feb. 19.
It was reported that 10 companies, including Coupang, have forwarded their application forms and now have to wait for the decision. The memberships are still subject to approval from board directors and the current members.
“The KEF is a representative economic organization that has taken the lead in industrial policy promotion and deregulation,” an official at Coupang said. “We decided to join for broad exchange and cooperation on industrial and economic issues.”
Deflecting Feud with the Umbrella Union
The Korea Times reported that Coupang’s decision to apply for full membership in the Korea Enterprises Federation is a move to defend itself against the condemnation from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and pro-labor groups. The company has been criticized by these groups after its logistics affiliate, Coupang Fulfillment Service (CFS), got involved in rumors stating it had made a “blacklist” of retired employees so they could not be hired again.
“The KCTU has colluded with our employees to spill our confidential information and manipulate documents for their own political purposes,” a CFS spokesperson said in response to the allegations against the company. “The union and some media outlets have long argued that the document on human resource evaluation is illegal but a judicial authority ruled this does not go against the nation’s labor standards act.”
Photo by: Coupang Website
