Delivery Worker Exposes Genitals in Elevator and Flees
Under Current Law, Sex Offenders Can Work as Delivery Workers
Difficult to Check Criminal Records in Advance Due to Personal Information Protection Act
"Employment of Sex Offenders as Delivery Workers Should Be Restricted" Criticism
On September 2nd last year, delivery motorcycles were lined up at a local center of a delivery agency in downtown Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] During the recent Lunar New Year holiday, an incident occurred in an officetel in Seoul where a delivery rider exposed his genitals to a woman who was sharing the elevator with him and then fled. Concerns are rising about the possibility of sexual crimes committed by delivery riders, and there are criticisms that there are no employment restrictions for delivery riders even if they have a history of sexual offenses, creating a "blind spot" in employment for sex offenders.
According to Baemin Riders, a delivery rider affiliated with Baedal Minjok (Baemin) exposed his genitals to a female resident who was sharing the elevator with him at an officetel in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the night of the 12th, and then fled. At the time, the delivery rider was covering his face with a helmet and reportedly escaped on a motorcycle bearing the Baemin logo immediately after the incident.
According to media reports, the victim memorized the motorcycle's license plate number and reported it to the police. The police responded to the scene and confirmed through the elevator's closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage that the delivery rider had exposed himself. The police are currently tracking the delivery rider by securing CCTV footage along his escape route, and Baemin has identified the rider by checking delivery records and suspended the rider's account.
However, as this incident became known, voices expressing concern about the possibility of sexual crimes by delivery riders have grown louder. In particular, it has been pointed out that even those with prior sexual offense records can work as delivery riders.
Under current law, employment of sex offenders is restricted in 37 industries where they are likely to frequently encounter children and adolescents, such as child education facilities and apartment security guards. Additionally, delivery couriers are subject to employment restrictions for sex offenders under the amended Freight Transport Business Act as of July 2019.
On the other hand, there are no regulations restricting employment of violent or sex offenders in the motorcycle (two-wheeled vehicle) delivery industry. As long as one has a motorcycle license, anyone can work as a delivery rider regardless of their criminal record.
Personal information items required when applying as a Baedal Minjok rider (delivery driver). Under current law, delivery drivers are not classified as occupations restricted for employment by sex offenders, so prior verification of criminal records is not included in the collected items as it violates the Personal Information Protection Act. Photo by Baedal Minjok, screenshot of the Privacy Policy.
Consumers who had to open their front doors to delivery riders without knowing that sex offenders can work as delivery personnel providing face-to-face services feel helpless and anxious.
A 20-year-old college student, Ms. A, said, "I live alone and often order delivery food, and every time I see news like this, I get very nervous. It's scary and horrifying to think that I might have already opened the door to a sex offender." She appealed, "How can it be acceptable that sex offenders cannot work as couriers but can work as delivery riders?"
Ms. A added, "Hardworking delivery riders might be misunderstood, and consumers feel uneasy, so to avoid discomfort on both sides, I believe there should be prior screening when hiring riders to exclude those with sexual offense records."
Meanwhile, concerns about the possibility of delivery riders having sexual offense records have been raised since 2019. At that time, a woman living in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, posted a petition on the Blue House National Petition Board in October of the same year, stating that the activities of sex offenders as delivery riders should be restricted, after witnessing a sex offender delivering in her neighborhood.
Although there are still calls to restrict employment of sex offenders in service industries where workers face customers, currently, checking the criminal records of delivery riders, who are not included in the restricted employment categories, violates the Personal Information Protection Act, making prior verification difficult for companies.
A Baemin Rider representative stated, "Under current law, it is impossible to check criminal records," and added, "To prevent recurrence, we have created a rider training program and will develop a manual to immediately connect any unfortunate incidents to a dedicated department in the future."
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