Walking around apartment hallway with pants off while delivering items
'Room 301 Big-chested X', "Wanna eat together?", "Eating all alone?" mocking customers
Expert: "Customer service duties must be strictly trained, including creating manuals"
Recently, social outrage has arisen due to the continued misconduct of some delivery workers. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] Recently, controversy has arisen after it was revealed that a delivery worker from Coupang was delivering items while walking around an apartment corridor with his pants down. Prior to this, there have been reports of some delivery workers engaging in misconduct, such as writing sexually harassing phrases on packaging bags and secretly eating customers' ordered food. Experts emphasize the need for comprehensive etiquette training for delivery workers.
In the early hours of the 21st, footage from a private CCTV of a female resident in Sangil-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, showed a male delivery worker, identified as Mr. A, walking through the corridor carrying delivery items with both his pants and underwear pulled down, causing shock.
Mr. A was revealed not to be a regular employee of the delivery company Coupang but the husband of a female delivery worker who had been subcontracted to handle deliveries. Coupang's customer center explained, "We heard that Mr. A urgently needed to urinate, so he pulled down his pants and, while holding the box (delivery item), went to the first floor to urinate outdoors."
Since it was early morning, no one encountered Mr. A at the time, but if someone had, it could have caused significant trauma to the witness.
Citizens expressed disbelief. Kim, a 23-year-old university student, said, "Sometimes I go to convenience stores alone early in the morning, and just thinking about encountering such a delivery worker is terrifying," adding, "Who would urinate outside just because they urgently need to go? It's an incomprehensible situation." Park, a worker in his late 30s, commented, "This behavior is beyond common sense," and questioned, "Who would pull their pants down completely just because they are in a hurry?"
In response, Coupang stated that the delivery worker who subcontracted the work violated the contract by working with her husband, which led to this incident. They apologized, immediately excluded the involved parties from work, and pledged full cooperation with the investigation.
In the early morning of the 21st, a male delivery worker, Mr. A, was captured on a female resident's private closed-circuit television (CCTV) in an apartment in Sangil-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, walking through the corridor carrying delivery items with his pants and underwear completely pulled down. Photo by SBS 8 o'clock News
Similar incidents have occurred in the past. In February, an office worker Mr. B living in an officetel in Munjeong-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, reported to the police after noticing a delivery worker exposing his private parts in the elevator. The delivery worker was charged with public indecency.
In October of last year, a rider affiliated with a local delivery agency caused controversy after it was revealed that he wrote sexually harassing phrases on packaging bags during deliveries. The delivery agency explained that it was a prank among delivery workers.
In June of the same year, a delivery worker from a delivery company in Daejeon caused an uproar by sending a text message evaluating a customer's body parts. According to the victim, right after ordering delivery food, the delivery worker sent a message saying, "Room 301, big chest X."
Moreover, in March of last year, a delivery worker caused a stir by making remarks to a customer such as, "Shall we eat together?" and "Are you going to eat it all alone?" Additionally, in December 2019, a delivery worker in Daegu sparked controversy by sending text messages evaluating a female customer's body parts.
Some voices express concern that the continuous misconduct of some delivery workers might lead to a negative perception of delivery workers as a whole. Park, a 36-year-old office worker, said, "I always appreciate the hard work of delivery workers, but I worry whenever a few individuals' wrongdoings become an issue," adding, "I hope this does not lead to discrimination against the profession itself." Another office worker in his 30s, Kim, raised his voice, saying, "Isn't this practically a crime? Strong punishment through investigation is necessary."
Experts emphasize the responsibility of the affiliated platforms. Professor Lee Byunghoon of the Department of Sociology at Chung-Ang University stated, "With the proliferation of platforms and subcontractors related to delivery, gaps have emerged in this area," adding, "It is necessary to create an environment where personnel performing service tasks can maintain basic etiquette regarding their work attitude and labor performance, and to thoroughly conduct pre-education by establishing manuals outlining basic customer service obligations."
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