South Korea's Coupang faces consumer wrath over warehouse fire

SEOUL -- South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang is facing a potential consumer boycott after a logistics center warehouse blaze left a firefighter dead, the latest in a series of unflattering incidents for a company that wants to make itself indispensable to shoppers.

Coupang's customers, which it estimates to number about 15 million, are drawn to features like its Rocket Delivery service, which promises same-day or overnight arrival. Demand for its services ballooned as more people shopped from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company, which raised $4.6 billion from its U.S. listing in March, is planning four new logistics centers that it says will create 9,500 jobs and is eyeing overseas markets such as Japan.