"Running 20,000 Steps a Day for So Little"... The Struggles of White-Haired Subway Delivery Workers

"Too Ashamed to Tell Friends, I Avoid Social Gatherings"
Even After Walking 20,000 Steps a Day, Hourly Wage Falls Below 5,000 Won
"Reform of the Income Security System Needed Before Taking Away Benefits at 65"

"If my phone dies, I can't contact clients or view maps, so I always carry this with me."

Around 8 a.m. on the 2nd, inside a subway car on Seoul Subway Line 2 heading toward Hapjeong Station. Kim (age 72), with white hair and hands marked by years of labor, held up a large, well-worn external battery pack. He is a first-year 'Silver Delivery Worker,' someone who delivers packages across Seoul by foot. His first task that day was to deliver documents from near Jeungsan Station on Line 6 in Eunpyeong District to Hwagok Station on Line 5 in Gangseo District. As Kim passed through the ticket gate, sweat was already running down both cheeks.

At around 8 a.m. on the 2nd, Kim, a 72-year-old elderly delivery worker from a courier company, is guiding the way to Jeungsan Station on Subway Line 6 at Euljiro 4-ga Station on Line 2 in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Lee Ji-ye

Entering the transfer passage, Kim navigated the station without hesitation, demonstrating his precise knowledge of the route like a "human navigation system." Silver delivery workers walk over 20,000 steps per day on average. While they refrain from heavy deliveries due to safety concerns, simply climbing subway stairs and traversing long transfer passages is physically demanding.

Kim said, "The rainy season is the toughest because I'm always worried the parcels might get wet," wiping his neck with a towel. His back was already drenched, and he only sat down after being repeatedly urged to take an empty seat, saying cautiously, "I feel self-conscious." He stayed alert, constantly checking his route and setting alarms for his destination, anxious not to miss his stop.

The distance Kim traveled that day to deliver a single document was 33 kilometers. Excluding transfer times, it took a total of 125 minutes on the subway. After a 30% commission is deducted from the per-delivery fee of 13,000 won, he is left with 9,100 won. Despite sweating through the greater Seoul metropolitan rail network, the hourly earnings for elderly workers like him amount to just 4,400 won—less than half of this year's minimum hourly wage of 10,320 won. Kim calmly smiled, saying, "I don't even make 30,000 won for working half a day, but I'm still grateful I can earn a living by moving on my own two feet."

Senior citizens with white hair are increasingly seeking a "second career" after retirement as they fight for survival. While Korea has entered an era with 4 million senior workers, the reality behind this statistic is that many elderly are pushed into ultra-short-term, low-wage jobs. Experts warn that beyond temporary stopgap job programs, a comprehensive system for old-age security is urgently needed.

According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics, the number of employed seniors aged 65 or older rapidly increased from 3.525 million in 2023 to 3.806 million in 2024, and to 4.147 million last year. In particular, the number of those aged 70 or older reached 2.162 million last year, surpassing the 2 million mark for the first time since separate statistics began in 2018. As of last year, 52.1% of all senior workers were aged 70 or older—a figure indicating that the increase in economic activity among the elderly goes beyond merely delaying retirement and instead reflects work driven by the need to make a living.

The rise in the number of senior workers does not necessarily mean there are more quality jobs for the elderly. Many older people continue to work because their retirement income is insufficient, but the reality is that a significant number remain in ultra-short-term, low-wage jobs like subway courier work. For 2026, the maximum monthly National Basic Pension benefit for a single senior household is 349,700 won. Even combining pension and work income, it's difficult to make ends meet.

Kim, who previously worked in distribution and the interior design industry before retirement, hesitated before admitting, "I prefer to keep this job a secret, so I rarely attend alumni or friends' gatherings," adding, "Even if I want to do something else, almost no one will hire someone over seventy." Another silver courier, Park Kwangwoong (age 86), whom we met on the subway, said, "I'm in poor health, but I keep going by delivering parcels when I can," adding, "I can't live on my pension alone."

For deliveries within Seoul, the standard fee per item is 13,000 won. For areas in Gyeonggi Province, it's 18,000 to 20,000 won, and a round-trip delivery to Cheonan is about 30,000 won. After a 30% commission is deducted, the actual take-home pay ranges from about 7,000 to 20,000 won per delivery.

Recently, the Seoul city government has been discussing raising the age for free subway rides from the current 65 to 70. This is expected to make it even more difficult for silver delivery workers to sustain themselves, as increased transportation costs would immediately erode their main source of income—delivery commissions. Choi, a 75-year-old delivery worker with four years of experience, said, "If I can no longer ride the subway for free, I simply wouldn't be able to do this job," adding, "Even at our office, only 30 to 40 percent of workers are under 70."

Around 8 a.m. on the 2nd, silver delivery worker Kim (age 72) was continuously wiping sweat with a handkerchief inside Subway Line 2. Photo by Jiye Lee

Experts stress that the issue of elderly labor cannot be resolved by employment policy alone, but requires a reexamination of the entire retirement income security system, including the National Pension Scheme. The root cause that compels retirees to keep working simply to survive is their inadequate old-age income.

Heo Joonsu, Professor of Social Welfare at Soongsil University, said, "Given that Korea has the highest elderly poverty rate among OECD countries, even if the official age definition of 'senior' is raised, it is essential to maintain existing transportation welfare benefits for vulnerable groups such as low-income seniors." He added, "In other countries, people commonly do not work after retirement because pensions are sufficient, but in Korea, it is difficult to support oneself, so the elderly are forced to continue working. Fundamentally, we must reinforce the old-age income security system, including the National Pension—moving toward 'paying more and receiving more'—to create an environment in which seniors do not have to undertake excessive work just to make ends meet."

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