"If You Don't Collect the Fresh Bag, You Lose Your Zone"... 'Merciless Rules' Triple Industrial Accidents Among Delivery Workers in 5 Years

1,516 Industrial Accident Cases Approved in Parcel Delivery Sector Last Year
Seven Delivery Workers Recognized for Work-Related Deaths So Far This Year

As competition over delivery speed intensifies in the parcel delivery industry, the number of approved industrial accident cases involving parcel delivery workers has nearly tripled over the past five years.

Photo by Mun Honam

According to data received by Assemblyman Kim Wisang of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly's Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee, from the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service on July 12, approved industrial accident cases in the parcel delivery sector surged from 561 cases in 2021 to 1,516 cases last year. Looking at last year’s approved cases, accidents accounted for 1,341 cases (88.5%), making up the vast majority, followed by occupational diseases with 103 cases (6.8%) and commuting accidents with 72 cases (4.7%).

By type of disease, musculoskeletal disorders were the most common with 87 cases (84.4%), followed by cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases with 13 cases (12.6%). Musculoskeletal disorders are caused by accumulated work, while cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases are often caused by excessive workloads.

A Coupang delivery vehicle is parked in a parking lot in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Approval of industrial accident cases in the parcel delivery sector has been increasing every year, with 692 cases approved between January and May this year. During the same period, the number of approved industrial accident deaths was seven. The annual number of approved industrial accident deaths was 10 in 2021, 11 in 2022, 11 in 2023, 9 in 2024, and 14 in 2025.

The surge in nighttime and late-night deliveries due to the parcel industry’s competition over speed—such as same-day delivery, early-morning delivery, and seven-day-a-week delivery—has been cited as a major cause of industrial accidents among parcel delivery workers. Another contributing factor is the so-called ‘cleansing system,’ which allows delivery companies to reclaim delivery zones or terminate contracts within the contract period if certain performance metrics, such as delivery rates or Fresh Bag return rates, fall below standards.

However, discussions aimed at resolving these issues continue to face difficulties. The social dialogue body on parcel services, led by the Democratic Party of Korea, is currently discussing proposals such as limiting nighttime delivery work hours to 46 hours per week. However, opposition from delivery companies has made it difficult to reach a consensus. There has been no progress in discussions about introducing a ‘minimum compensation system’ to guarantee a basic standard of living for specially employed and platform workers, including delivery riders and parcel couriers, who are not even covered by the minimum wage. In addition, the Ministry of Employment and Labor is pushing for the introduction of a ‘Basic Workplace Law’ and a ‘Presumed Employee System’ to protect specially employed and platform workers, but the legislative process in the National Assembly remains stalled.

Assemblyman Kim emphasized, "Despite various government measures, the sharp increase in parcel delivery industrial accident deaths last year shows that existing policies remain disconnected from reality and have failed to address the structural causes. The government must move away from regulation-only policies and establish practical preventive measures."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.