"Delivery Fee Increase Due to Baemin and Coupang Eats... Legal Sanctions Needed for Promotions"

Posted on the Blue House National Petition Website... Over 700 Pre-Agreed
"Small Delivery Businesses Going Bankrupt One After Another... Riders Also Mocked"
"No One Benefits from Platform Competition"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] There is a claim that the cause of rising food delivery fees lies in the aggressive promotions by Baedal Minjok (Baemin) and Coupang Eats.

On the 3rd, a post titled "Please prohibit excessive promotions that disrupt the market order of large platforms and the resulting unfair competition" was uploaded on the Blue House National Petition website.

The author, Mr. A, who operates a delivery agency in Gyeonggi Province, expressed the opinion that Baemin and Coupang Eats' promotions should be legally regulated.

Mr. A said, "Ba* and Ku*** are recently competing by offering promotions to delivery riders, so riders who used to do general delivery agencies are all going to Ba* and Ku***," adding, "They pay 20,000 won per delivery, so what choice do they have?"

He continued, "When picking up items, if you meet Ba* or Ku*** riders, they mock you, saying, 'You do that for 4,000 won? We get tens of thousands,'" and added, "In Dongtan, with surcharges and rewards, it quickly reaches 50,000 won. That's more than 10 times."

Mr. A stated that due to the excessive promotions by the two companies, small delivery businesses are going bankrupt one after another, and it is also difficult to ask franchise owners (restaurant owners) for additional delivery fees.

He said, "We also froze delivery fees for five years and raised them for the first time this time. We simply couldn't endure it," and argued, "The end of this competition is ultimately the customers. Store owners have to raise food prices or increase delivery tips to make a living."

Mr. A cited media reports that the two companies operate single delivery services at a loss due to promotions, saying, "No one benefits from this competition. Not only restaurant owners but also delivery company owners are all going bankrupt."

Finally, he said, "This is a matter of survival for us, and ultimately everyone bears this burden," and requested, "I hope the government will promptly come up with measures."

As of 1:40 PM on the 4th, this petition had received preliminary consent from about 700 people. Currently, this post is being shared on social networking services (SNS) through a preliminary consent link (URL). If more than 100 people give preliminary consent, it will be officially posted on the bulletin board after administrator review.