Delivery Worker Driven to Extreme Choice by Financial Hardship
Workplace Bullying and Harsh Working Conditions Revealed in Publicized Will
11 Delivery Workers Lost Their Lives This Year
10 of Them Presumed to Have Died from Overwork
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Amid a recent series of deaths presumed to be caused by overwork among delivery workers, an incident occurred where a delivery worker, driven by financial hardship, took their own life. The deceased expressed in a suicide note the difficulties caused by workplace bullying, poor working conditions, and low income, adding to the tragedy.
According to the National Delivery Workers' Union and the Jinhae Police Station in Gyeongnam on the 20th, A (50) was found dead around 3 a.m. at the Logen Delivery Busan Gangseo Branch terminal. The branch manager discovered the body that morning and reported it to the police.
Earlier, at around 2:30 a.m. on the same day, A reportedly took photos of a three-page handwritten suicide note and sent it to union members via messenger.
The note written by A contained appeals about the harsh working environment due to lack of investment, financial difficulties caused by low income, and complaints about workplace bullying.
In the note, A lamented, "To do this job, I took a national exam, bought a vehicle, and even got a dedicated protective plate, but in reality, I earn less than 2 million won," and added, "My credit has dropped, and the low-interest loan turned into a refinancing loan, causing an unexpected additional monthly expense of 1.2 million won for principal and interest," expressing financial hardship.
On the 18th of last month, delivery drivers at a courier logistics center in Seoul are preparing for delivery after completing sorting work. / Photo by Yonhap News
There were also complaints about the poor working conditions. A said, "Even though they know that unloading work in the midsummer heat causes people to die from overwork, they did not buy a used portable air conditioner costing 1.5 million won and made about 20 people come out 30 minutes earlier," and "They have money to invest in Bitcoin mining machines but only give excuses about lack of funds when asked to invest in the branch," expressing frustration.
There were also details about workplace bullying. He said, "The deputy branch manager, upset about something, stopped the unloading work altogether, called the branch manager, told him to sit in a chair, threw the paper coffee cup he was drinking into the trash, and got angry," adding, "At that moment, I realized he regarded the branch manager as below an employee."
Meanwhile, with A's death, the number of delivery drivers who have lost their lives this year has reached 11. According to the Delivery Workers' Overwork Death Countermeasures Committee, 10 of them, excluding A, are presumed to have died from overwork.
On the 8th, a delivery driver working for CJ Logistics in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, was transported to a nearby hospital after complaining of breathing difficulties but ultimately passed away. He reportedly worked from 6:30 a.m. to 9-10 p.m. daily and delivered about 400 packages on average per day.
On the afternoon of the 19th, participants are observing a moment of silence at the 'Press Conference by Parcel Consumers Condemning Large Corporate Parcel Companies and Urging the Prevention of Overwork Deaths of Parcel Workers' held in front of the Admiral Yi Sun-sin statue at Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News
On the 12th of this month, Kim (36), who worked at Hanjin Delivery, was found dead at home. According to the committee, four days before his death, at 4:28 a.m. on the 8th, Kim sent a message to a colleague saying, "When I get home at 5, I eat, wash up, and go straight to the terminal, so I can't even get a moment's rest and have to do sorting work again. It's too hard."
However, Hanjin Delivery reportedly explained, "Kim had a pre-existing illness and his delivery volume was relatively low, around 200 packages."
Amid a series of deaths presumed to be caused by overwork among delivery workers, the government has decided to conduct an emergency inspection to check whether safety and health measures to prevent overwork have been properly implemented at major delivery companies.
On the 19th, Lee Jae-gap, Minister of Employment and Labor, announced at a crisis response task force meeting held at the Government Sejong Complex, "From the 21st of this month to the 13th of next month, we will conduct an emergency inspection of safety and health measures to prevent health hazards such as overwork at 40 major sub-terminals and 400 agencies including CJ Logistics and Hanjin Delivery."
In particular, the Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to conduct interviews with about 6,000 delivery drivers contracted with the 400 agencies during the inspection process.
※ If you need expert help for difficult issues such as depression, you can receive 24-hour counseling at the Suicide Prevention Hotline 1393, Lifeline 1588-9191, or Youth Hotline 1388.
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