At 21 years old, Ho-jun Kang is the youngest full-time employee from over 15,000 Coupang drivers. Ho-jun works at the Guri Camp in Gyeonggi-do, where he serves as a group leader supervising 18 members who are 10 to 30 years older than him. Despite his youth, Ho-jun—known affectively as “Captain Kang” to his colleagues—is one of the most respected employees at his camp, recognized for his excellent problem-solving and communications skills.
Just two years earlier, however, Ho-jun’s prospects looked entirely different. In school, Ho-jun felt unmotivated, lacking any dreams or aspirations. His grades always hovered in the bottom percentile. “It was hard to sit at my desk for even 30 minutes,” said Ho-jun. Because of his interest in computer games, he decided to major in computer science in college, but it differed from his expectations. “Computer games as a hobby and complex programming are completely different. I had low self-esteem without a purpose. I ate heavy loads of snacks due to stress and gained weight up to 110 kilograms.”
To make matters worse, his family’s financial circumstances were also difficult. To help support his family, he applied for a part-time job at a convenience store paying around 600,000 won (around 500 dollars) a month. Unfortunately, he was rejected because one of the hiring requirements was completion of military service, which he hadn’t finished.
From lacking self-esteem and purpose to finding a job he loves
Luckily for Ho-jun, Coupang’s hiring process broke from the traditional norms, without the qualification restrictions based on age, education, or career often found at other companies. Anyone with a driver’s license could apply to be a driver, with passion, sincerity, and the willingness to work being the main hiring qualifications. At the age of 19, Ho-jun started working through Coupang Flex in the evenings from 10 to 11 PM after school to pay for his tuition.
“For the first time in my life, I thought that ‘work is fun,’” said Ho-jun. “I didn’t know anything else, but I was confident in driving. I was having fun delivering to new places and driving through the narrow alleys. It was interesting to find parking spots. I could lose weight and make money. I think I made 1 to 1.4 million won a month while doing Coupang Flex.”
For six months, Ho-jun balanced school and work this way, before ultimately taking a leave of absence from college. “I gave up studying because it didn’t fit my aptitude,” he said. With his future once again unclear, Ho-jun decided to organize his thoughts in the military, and even set a date for his enlistment in September 2019. Then, he suddenly postponed his military enlistment and joined as a Coupang Friend full-time.
What prompted the decision? “There were two reasons. My family situation became more difficult, and I had to work. Second, I didn’t have to struggle to find a job that suited me. As I thought it over, I realized the most fun and suitable job I ever had was Coupang Flex. That’s when I thought, ‘Should I officially apply to be a Coupang Friend?’”
Supporting his family and planning for the future
Now, Ho-jun has a job that he not only loves, but is also great at. “If the building door is locked, the road looks flat on the map but is actually winding, or we need to decide how to start the delivery route for an apartment complex, we ask ‘Captain Kang’ to find a solution,” said Eun-seop Jin (48), a fellow Coupang Friend. “Even though he is more than 25 years younger than me, I have lots of respect for him.” Seon-hyeong Ahn (49), another colleague, concurred. “His driving and delivery skills are of the highest level. And even though he is the youngest, he has excellent communication skills.”
While Ho-jun is enjoying his recognition as “the most popular person in the camp,” as described by his colleagues, more importantly, Ho-jun is proud that he can support his family with his salary. “Since I joined the company, I have been giving my parents 600,000 to 1 million won of my monthly salary for living expenses. I am proud to be able to contribute to my family’s living situation, which had been a bit difficult financially. I am saving most of the remaining money for the future. My friends and family are all supporting me, so I’m working harder.”
Currently, Ho-jun makes an annual salary of 46 million won, nearly double the average annual salary of 20 to 24-year-olds according to Statistics Korea. Even when he first started as a Coupang Friend, Ho-jun made more than the full-time starting salary for college graduates in Korea (33.91 million won per year according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor). Ho-jun also loves the benefits he gets, such as paid annual leave. “You can take days off when you want to rest without notice. Since last year, I spent more than 20 days off using annual leave,” said Ho-jun. “Most recently, I went on a trip to Busan.”
While Ho-jun is still on a leave of absence at school, he has “absolutely no desire to go back to college.” Not only does he have a newfound sense of purpose, but he also has a concrete life plan. “I want to become independent by saving money for a deposit on a home. My goal is to get married before I am 30. I plan to take a leave of absence and enlist in the military later. After I’m discharged, I will return to work at Coupang. My dream is becoming a camp leader.”
