“I’m 72 years old this year. I’m probably the oldest person at Coupang. It brings me great joy to come into the office every morning with my Coupang ID badge,” said Seong-jun Oh.
At 72, Seong-jun is indeed the oldest employee at Coupang. He works as a captain of “Coulens,” the company’s equal employment opportunity (EEO) program for people with disabilities. Seong-jun, who manages seven cleaning staff members with physical or developmental disabilities, was himself diagnosed with hearing impairment this spring. Prior to his diagnosis, he worked as a university professor in Seoul for over 20 years, and after retiring, he co-ran an alternative higher education system as CEO for another 10 years.
Even now, Seong-jun is very passionate about education work, which is why he loves his job at Coupang. “When you reach my age, how much you make per month isn’t important. What I’m thankful for is that I can still be useful to society even at this age. My current job is especially meaningful to me because I can build relationships with and support people with disabilities.”
At 7 AM every morning, Seong-jun arrives for work at Coupang’s Rocket Research Center in the Gangnam District of Seoul. He has a lot of passion and likes to try new things, so he communicates regularly with his team members to form a nimble and cohesive team. Through this job, Seong-jun has gotten close to his colleagues, including 20-year-old Joon-won Hong, who is 52 years his junior. The two both joined the company on April 5th this year, and they support each other in their work as captain and team member.
“Coupang is my first job,” said Joon-won. “The benefits are good and so is the working environment, but most of all, it’s nice to be close to my colleagues. The captain is very kind and a great teacher.” Influenced by Seong-jun, Joon-won wants to be the kind of person “who works hard” and “helps those in need.”
Seong-jun also gets much out of working with his younger colleagues. “I have no children. The energy I get from working with my younger friends, who are like my children and grandchildren in a way, has revitalized my life,” he said. “I want to continue working at Coupang for a long time, so these days I’m even doing pull-ups and other exercises to maintain my stamina. During work breaks, I arm wrestle with my team, though I end up beating all of them,” he added with a laugh.
In addition to Coulens, which has over 400 employees, Coupang provides various other programs and support for equal employment opportunities. For example, there is the Senior Internship, a government-sponsored initiative in which the government subsidizes the labor costs of companies that hire those aged 60 and over as interns. Coupang takes this program a step further by donating these subsidies to the Good Shuttle project, which provides commuting services to people with disabilities. Coupang has also established the Inclusion Management team, which develops customized jobs for people with disabilities considering the different characteristics of disabilities, such as hearing, vision, and developmental impairments. Such efforts are a part of Coupang’s unyielding commitment to create good jobs for all.
