“Coupang’s dismissal of union leaders ruled unlawful, court finds anti-union motive”, 14 September 2025

A South Korean court has ruled that Coupang Fulfilment Services (CFS) unlawfully dismissed union officials in retaliation for their union activities, marking a significant legal recognition of anti-union practices at the company.

The court found that CFS discriminated against two workers — both active union leaders at Coupang’s logistics centre branch of the Public Transport Workers’ Union — by giving them arbitrarily low performance scores and using these as grounds for termination. The judge ruled that this constituted both unfair dismissal and an unfair labour practice under Korean law.

The two workers, who joined the company in 2020 and 2021 respectively, had demanded to be converted from fixed-term to permanent employment contracts. CFS claimed that their performance evaluations fell short of the required threshold and refused to renew their contracts. Both workers filed for remedy through the local and central labour commissions, but their applications were dismissed in 2023 and 2024.

However, the court found significant flaws in Coupang’s evaluation process, stating that the performance reviews were “subjective” and influenced by the company’s negative perception of union activity. It cited disciplinary deductions over participation in union protests, even when the legality of such protests was unclear.

The court also referred to the so-called “Coupang blacklist” case, noting that the company had allegedly compiled a list of daily workers, including many union officials, and used it to determine future hiring decisions. This, the court said, reflected anti-union bias and likely contributed to the denial of permanent employment to the plaintiffs.

Labour advocates have welcomed the ruling, saying it sets a precedent by affirming that Coupang’s actions were aimed at suppressing union activity.