South Korea's overworked logistics industry is only going to get worse

Cheonghee Yu(KILSH)

JAN 21 2025

中文    한국어    日本語

A worker in his 20s who died of overexertion after work at a Coupang distribution center, a worker who died of overexertion while running to deliver coupons, and eight people who died due to the surge in courier volume after COVID-19 were recognized as industrial accidents in 2020 and six in 2021. This shows the severity of overwork in the logistics industry. However, workers in distribution centers are still working day and night under high labor intensity and poor working conditions. CJ Logistics, the number one courier company in Korea, started delivering seven days a week in 2025. This is the beginning of 2025, when it will be even more difficult to ensure the health and lives of workers in the distribution and logistics industry.

Warehouse night shifts take a toll on workers' health

Warehouses are where products ordered by consumers are collected, sorted by region, and shipped. With the rapid expansion of online shopping, many workers work in warehouses as day laborers or contractors, day or night. Night workers in logistics centers work at night for 20 or more days a month. 

According to the “Working Environment and Health Levels of Fixed Night Workers at Logistics Centers,” a study conducted by the Korea Institute of Labor Safety and Health and the the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union, night workers at logistics centers believe that working at night has a negative impact on their health (69.2% of 270 respondents), but only 41.4% are willing to change to daytime work, mainly because they don't want to lower their wages (67.5%). Workers reported a number of health problems since they started working at night, with 44.1% reporting sleep disorders. When asked about the intensity of their work, workers described it as “as hard as a brisk walk” (average Borg index of 14.33) and hoped that it would be adjusted to 61.78% of the current intensity. 

In South Korea, where there is virtually no regulation of night work, there should be limits on continuous night work, the right of night workers to request to be transferred to daytime work for health reasons, adequate rest breaks and rest areas, and reduced labor intensity. It is essential to eliminate or reduce nighttime work and improve the ability of workers to earn a living wage from daytime work alone so that they can choose daytime work, and to recruit full-time employees rather than casual workers. Social pressure on the logistics industry and self-regulation of the logistics industry are needed to create a society where the practice of allowing workers to work at night is not taken for granted.

A courier company promises to deliver 365 days a year

One of the changes that will take place in 2025 is CJ Logistics' seven-day-a-week delivery system, “Maeil One(Coming everyday)". Until now, home delivery was not available on Sundays and holidays, but from 2025, CJ Logistics will deliver ordered products without taking a day off.

CJ Logistics has agreed to implement a five-day workweek after talks with the Taekbae union(a union of courier workers). Currently, delivery workers work 60 hours a week for six days. However, if they deliver seven days a week and work five days a week, won't the labor intensity increase? The new way of working is the “four-man rotation system”. According to this system, four drivers will form a group and work five days every other week, and two drivers will be in charge of Sunday and Monday. The problem with this is that every Sunday and Monday, one driver has to cover the area previously covered by four drivers, which increases the labor intensity. The lack of a clear plan for additional manpower while planning to implement a five-day workweek is a serious problem, and it is also a source of anxiety for workers that the agency may penalize them if they refuse to work extra hours. CJ Logistics, which decided to implement a seven-day delivery week to catch up with Coupang, which receives and delivers orders 365 days a year, does not seem to have considered the risk of overworking workers or their health.

A New Year of Overwork, time to put the brakes on

Why is Korean society racing to increase working hours and increase labor intensity instead of discussing how to reduce overwork and shorten working hours? Especially after witnessing the overwork deaths of too many delivery workers due to the surge in online shopping and delivery after COVID-19, shouldn't we stop this system that encourages workers to work even more? A society that can protect workers from overwork due to night work will start by raising social issues about the uncomfortable working conditions caused by a 24-hour society.