Coupang interim CEO Harold Rogers attends a friendly match between the national soccer teams of South Korea and El Salvador at BYU South Field in Provo, Utah, Wednesday. (Coupang Play) Coupang interim CEO Harold Rogers was spotted in the stands at Brigham Young University South Field in Provo, Utah, Wednesday, as the South Korean national soccer team took on El Salvador in a pre-World Cup friendly.
Rogers, wearing a South Korea national team jersey, appeared on Coupang Play’s live broadcast while cheering on the national team at the stadium of his alma mater, BYU, where he studied English literature before attending Harvard Law School.
South Korea defeated El Salvador 1-0 in its final warmup before the global tournament.
Industry sources said Rogers, who was in the US on business, considered the match a key event for Coupang Play and made a point of attending. He also met local officials and thanked staff working on the broadcast.
The sighting comes as Rogers has taken a more public-facing role since assuming leadership of Korea’s largest e-commerce platform earlier this year. In recent months, he has appeared at parliamentary hearings and joined lawmakers for early morning delivery.
Some industry officials view sports as one channel through which Coupang has sought to broaden cooperation and public engagement since last year’s major data breach.
Coupang Play has poured resources into sports broadcasting rights, betting that premium live events can help attract and retain subscribers.
Last month, Coupang Play made the unusual decision to stream for free an Asian Football Confederation Women’s Champions League semifinal between North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s FC and Suwon FC Women. Despite holding exclusive domestic broadcasting rights to AFC competitions, the platform opened the match to all viewers, citing broader public significance.
minmin@heraldcorp.com