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Coupang CEO Harold Rogers Moves Address to 'Company Residence' Once Used by Chairman Kim Bom-suk

[비즈한국] It has been confirmed that Harold Rogers, CEO of Coupang, recently moved his residence to Jamsil Prugio Worldmark in Sincheon-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul. This apartment was rented by Coupang and previously occupied by Coupang Inc. Chairman Kim Bom-suk. According to Coupang, Chairman Kim currently resides in the United States. Coupang did not clarify how the apartment was utilized during the period between Chairman Kim's departure and CEO Rogers' move-in.

According to the corporate registry, on December 18 of last year, just eight days after being appointed CEO, Rogers changed his residential address from a villa in Seocho-gu, Seoul, to the Jamsil Prugio Worldmark apartment in Sincheon-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul. Both properties are currently leased by Coupang. It is interpreted that Coupang has provided the company residence to CEO Rogers.

The specific unit where CEO Rogers is currently registered is the same one previously occupied by Chairman Kim Bom-suk. The corporate registry shows that Chairman Kim lived in this residence from April 2020 to December 2020. Since Chairman Kim resigned as CEO of Coupang in December 2020, his subsequent residential status has not been confirmed (Related article: Coupang, which provided a company residence to Chairman Kim Bom-suk, says it 'cannot disclose' whether rent was paid).

Ahead of a recent National Assembly hearing, Coupang stated that Chairman Kim Bom-suk is currently residing in the United States. This implies that Chairman Kim has not lived in the apartment since before CEO Rogers moved in. Former Coupang CEOs Park Dae-joon and Kang Han-seung also did not reside in this apartment. This suggests it is not a dedicated residence for Coupang CEOs. There is a possibility that it served as Chairman Kim Bom-suk's accommodation in Korea.

Coupang paid a rental deposit of 100 million won for this apartment. According to KB Real Estate, the monthly rent for Jamsil Prugio Worldmark with a 100 million won deposit ranges from 3.95 million to 4.4 million won. Although Coupang has not disclosed the exact contract details, it is expected that the company is spending several million won in monthly rent based on current market rates. Bizhankook reached out to Coupang for comment but did not receive a response.

Completed in 2013, Jamsil Prugio Worldmark is a residential-commercial complex with 288 units, spanning 4 basement levels and 39 floors above ground. It is considered to have excellent accessibility due to its location near Jamsil Station. The distance between Coupang's headquarters and Jamsil Prugio Worldmark is less than 500 meters. The unit rented by Coupang, which has a dedicated area of 112.25㎡ (approximately 34 pyeong), was sold for 2.08 billion won in September 2023. It is currently listed for sale at 2.7 billion won.