Harold Rogers, Coupang's acting chief who police have asked to appear for a second time, has left South Korea and is staying overseas, according to reports. Police have taken steps to request notification when Rogers enters the country.

Investigative authorities and industry sources said on Jan. 13 that Rogers recently left South Korea and is staying abroad. Rogers, a U.S. national, has frequently taken overseas business trips at intervals of 10 to 15 days even after becoming Coupang's acting chief, they said.

Police are investigating Rogers on suspicion of obstructing official duties and business interference in connection with the process of announcing Coupang's internal investigation results. Police asked Rogers to appear for the first time on Jan. 5, but he did not comply. Park Jung-bo, chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, said at a briefing with reporters the previous day that police had made a second request for Rogers to appear.

Coupang said Rogers left the country after coordinating with police for a scheduled business trip and that there would be no problem with his future appearance. Coupang said it was a planned trip, that it had already conveyed its intention to cooperate with police and appear, and that it was actively discussing the matter with police.