"Earn Pocket Money While Exercising"... An 80-Year-Old Gentleman Living a 'Gat-saeng' Life [Baedal-ui Cheongchun]②

'Elderly Job Support' Delivery Work Site
Senior Citizen Oh In-sik's First On-Foot Delivery
Challenging Various Tasks for 10 Years After Retirement

"After passing eighty years of age, I began to wonder what my purpose is. By chance, I heard about the walking delivery service, and with a mindset to take on a challenge, I applied."

Mr. Oh Insik (80), whom I met near Sindorim Station in Guro-gu, Seoul, in mid-last month, appeared as a polite elderly gentleman dressed in a shirt and suit jacket. What was unusual was the large insulated delivery bag slung over his right shoulder. Showing the black insulated bag with the phrase 'Uri Dongne Delivery' (Our Neighborhood Delivery) printed on it, Mr. Oh greeted the reporter warmly upon meeting.

Mr. Oh Insik, who completed his first delivery, is heading toward Sindorim Station, his "base." Photo by Heo Younghan younghan@

That day, Mr. Oh set out on his first walking delivery. He participated in the 'Senior Job Accompaniment' project jointly operated by Seoul City and GS Retail. The Senior Job Accompaniment project is a program where seniors aged 60 and above work as delivery personnel for GS Retail’s walking delivery relay service called 'Uri Dongne Delivery.'

On the 9th of last month, Mr. Oh attended the 4th job training session for Uri Dongne walking delivery held at the Seoul Senior Employment Support Center, where he received six hours of safety training, delivery process instructions, and training on how to use the delivery personnel application (app). Among the seniors attending the training, Mr. Oh was the eldest.

Mr. Oh is regarded as one of Korea’s first-generation industrial designers. He majored in design at university as part of the class of ’60. At that time, the concept of industrial design was rare in Korea. After graduating, he established his own industrial design office and worked actively in the field until retirement, collaborating frequently with some of the country’s leading large corporations.

Mr. Oh’s nickname is 'Ohstein.' This is because he is said to know everything due to his diverse work experience. Even after retirement, he did not stop working and continued to take on new challenges. In fact, he did various jobs. He obtained a vocational training instructor certificate and conducted career transition education for people preparing for a second life before retirement, just like himself. He also ran an industrial office. Even now, whenever an industrial design-related expo is held, he does not hesitate to go and learn the latest trends, showing that he has not neglected his interest in industrial design, his main profession. Mr. Oh, who has been retired for over ten years, lives a life akin to the recently popular 'Gat-saeng' (God + Saeng, meaning a model and diligent life) among young people.

"If I stay still at home, I get sick... It’s great exercise and so good for me"

Mr. Oh In-sik, who started working as a walking delivery worker in the Seoul Senior Companion Job program, is checking a call received through a delivery worker app near Sindorim Station. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@

The reason Mr. Oh participated in this walking delivery project was to continue his challenges. "If you stay at home just because you are old, you are bound to get sick," he said. He added, "After much thought, I came across information about walking delivery and thought that I could exercise with a purpose while earning a little pocket money, so I applied immediately. Seniors need to go outside and move around. I tell my peers to at least come out to the park because it’s much healthier than staying at home," he proudly stated.

Mr. Oh prepared thoroughly for his first delivery that day. After completing the preliminary training held at the Seoul Senior Employment Support Center, he extracted content from the booklet that guided the walking delivery process and the delivery personnel app usage to create a study notebook. He organized the necessary delivery information on a single sheet of paper to carry it easily.

The first order came about an hour after meeting the reporter, around 2:30 p.m. It was from Olive Young near Sindorim Station. The app screen showed the distance to the delivery location, the weight of the delivery items, and the type of items. The delivery fee was 2,000 won. When Mr. Oh pressed the accept button for the walking delivery, the remaining time until item pickup was displayed.

Mr. O Insik is picking up his first delivery item near Sindorim Station. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

Upon entering the Olive Young store, a pickup display stand for delivery items was set up near the entrance. Mr. Oh checked the item number displayed on the delivery personnel app and picked up the packaged product. After pressing the pickup complete button, the address of the delivery location, the customer’s special requests, and the remaining time until delivery were displayed. Even if he did not know the way to the delivery location, it was not a problem. The Uri Delivery app is linked with a map app that guides the route from the current location to the delivery destination.

The distance from the store where the items were picked up to the delivery location was about 2 km. Since this distance was somewhat challenging to cover on foot alone, he decided to take the subway for one station. As Mr. Oh is over 65 years old, he was eligible for free subway rides, so there was no cost burden. After double-checking that he had picked up the delivery items correctly, Mr. Oh put the items into the insulated delivery bag and headed straight to the subway station. He followed the route shown on the map app to reach the delivery location.

Mr. Oinsik is picking up an item near Sindorim Station and heading out for his first delivery. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

Although he traveled by subway, there was still a considerable distance to walk. Even the reporter, who walks more than 10,000 steps daily on average, felt leg pain. Mr. Oh said, "No problem at all." After entering the code for the shared entrance displayed on the app, he arrived at the door of the delivery location. Following the customer’s request for contactless delivery, he left the items at the door and took a photo of the completed delivery, uploading it to the app to finish the delivery. Although there was a slight confusion in finding the way, thanks to thorough practice, there were no major difficulties. Mr. Oh smiled brightly, saying, "If it’s this level, I can do it too," and "I gained confidence."

He said, "Honestly, the income from walking delivery is just a side job, but I think I can get exercise benefits by walking around for deliveries," and emphasized, "I want to recommend it to others. Since I have tried it myself, I can recommend it based on my experience."