"Showcase No Parcel Delivery Day"... CJ Logistics Takes a Break, but Naver and SSG Deliver as Usual. Why?

Parcel Deliveries Suspended on August 14-15
Normal Delivery for SSG.com, Naver, and Olive Young
Using CJ Logistics' "One" Service

CJ Logistics has suspended delivery operations starting on "No Parcel Delivery Day" (August 14) and throughout the Liberation Day holiday period (August 15). This measure is intended to guarantee couriers the right to rest during the peak of summer. However, it has been confirmed that parcels entrusted by e-commerce companies are still being delivered as usual.

According to the retail industry on August 14, all same-day delivery services from SSG.com, including dawn delivery and daytime delivery, are operating normally from the 14th to the 15th. Currently, SSG.com has transferred all dawn deliveries and some regional daytime deliveries to CJ Logistics. Dawn delivery is a service in which groceries, snacks, and daily necessities ordered are delivered by 7 a.m. the next day. Daytime delivery allows customers to receive items ordered from Emart Mall at their preferred date and time. SSG.com transferred logistics and delivery operations to CJ Logistics in order to expand stable and fast delivery services.

On the 10th, one week before Chuseok, the largest national holiday, officials at the Dong Seoul Postal Logistics Center in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, were busy sorting Chuseok gifts and parcel deliveries. The Korea Post Headquarters expects to receive about 19.25 million parcel mails ahead of this Chuseok and has started emergency operations at nationwide concentration centers and post offices until the 20th. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

Delivery services using CJ Logistics' "One" (meaning "order today, arrives tomorrow") service, such as Naver Shopping and CJ Olive Young, are also operating normally on August 14 and 15. In fact, it has been confirmed that agencies employing One delivery drivers did not receive any notice of a holiday. The Yangji Hub of CJ Logistics, which handles One deliveries in the Seoul metropolitan area, is also operating as usual. This means deliveries are being made just as they are at Coupang, which does not participate in No Parcel Delivery Day. An industry insider stated, "There are about 1,000 drivers involved in One deliveries, and all of them are working as usual," adding, "Even when parcel deliveries were halted for the presidential election day in April, One delivery drivers still worked afternoon shifts."

No Parcel Delivery Day is a period when all parcel delivery workers are given time off from deliveries to rest. This system, which began in 2021, is now in its sixth year. This year, CJ Logistics announced that, considering the increasing number of courier worker deaths due to extreme heat, it would designate both August 14 and 15 as No Parcel Delivery Days. At the time, the company stated, "We have notified all nationwide agencies, couriers, clients, and consumers in advance about the delivery suspension on August 14 and 15," adding, "We aim to spread participation throughout the industry."

CJ Logistics explained that One (same-day delivery), dawn delivery, and daytime delivery are not subject to No Parcel Delivery Day because the drivers handling these services are not under exclusive contracts with the company’s agencies. These drivers operate across general freight transport and work independently, without exclusive contracts with a specific company, so they are not classified as parcel couriers. A CJ Logistics representative said, "Around 23,000 parcel couriers will be able to rest on No Parcel Delivery Day," but added, "Same-day and dawn delivery drivers are not classified as parcel couriers, so the policy does not apply to them." This highlights a blind spot in the No Parcel Delivery Day policy.

For this reason, some argue that more fundamental measures are needed to protect workers' health and allow for more family time. They criticize the current arrangement as merely a "showcase" event, since it guarantees the right to rest only for some workers.

There are also complaints from small business owners who are forced to take time off as parcel deliveries stop. As the e-commerce industry grows rapidly, leading to an increase in both the parcel market and the number of workers, there are calls for more fundamental reforms, such as guaranteeing a five-day workweek. Earlier this month, the Parcel Industry Headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions stated, "From July 4 to 8, three people, including agency managers and couriers at CJ Logistics, died in succession," and insisted, "This is a clear disaster caused by overwork, and a five-day workweek must be guaranteed."