[The Sociology of Heatwaves]①Running Through 'Deadly Heat' with a 15kg Bag

"If You Take a Break, Your Income Stops": Carrying a 15kg Bag Under the Scorching Sun
42% of Heat-Related Illnesses Occur Among Workers in Their 30s to 50s, Concentrated at Job Sites
Health or Livelihood: Two Survival Choices Amid the Heatwave

"There are moments when I get dizzy. It's disorienting, but if I stop, I can't make money, so I have no choice but to keep working."

On the morning of the 10th, Do Hee-eun (50), a Coway home visit inspector, is inspecting a water purifier in Junggok-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jiye Lee.

Around 9 a.m. on August 10, in Junggok-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. Dohie Eun (50), an on-site inspector for a home appliance rental company, slung a 15 kg bag filled with a sterilizer and cleaning tools over her shoulder and headed to a customer's home. Although she tightly tied a bandana around her forehead and draped a towel around her neck, sweat quickly rolled down her cheeks. It has been eight years since she became an on-site inspector due to a back injury she developed while working in logistics, yet she still cannot get used to the heat. Even on this day, when a heatwave advisory was in effect, she had to walk under the scorching sun with her heavy bag. Her countermeasures for the heatwave are limited to edible glucose and a bottle of frozen water.

The on-site inspector's status is that of a specially employed worker (labor provider). Instead of a standard employment contract, they sign a business consignment contract and receive a commission per assignment. Having already arrived at her third appointment within an hour, Dohie Eun said, "If I'm late for an appointment with a customer, I get penalized, so there's barely time to catch my breath. No matter how much the minimum wage rises, we only receive a commission, so no matter how hot it is, if you want to make a living, you can't stop working."

At around 4 p.m. on the 10th, Mr. Yu, a delivery driver in his 40s, is getting back on his motorcycle to resume delivery work after a short break at the Gig Workers' Shelter in Gwangjin District, Seoul. Photo by Jiye Lee

The predicament of losing income the moment they avoid the heat is the same for delivery workers. Around 3 p.m. that day at the gig workers' rest area in Gwangjin-gu, Mr. Yoo, a delivery driver in his 40s, guzzled ice water. Despite wearing a thin, sweat-absorbing short-sleeve shirt, arm sleeves, and a neck scarf, he was already drenched. Taking his first break since starting work at 10 a.m., he gasped, "It's so hot I don't have an appetite, so all I can manage is water."

On his smartphone, both heatwave alerts and new delivery calls rang out at once, and he quickly grabbed his helmet and headed back onto the sweltering asphalt. For those who spend their day on shimmering roads, the 'weather surcharge' provided by the delivery platforms is only 500 won. Baemin (Baedal Minjok) pays a flat 500 won, while Coupang Eats sets 500 won as the maximum. Delivery workers must race through the heat, gasping for breath, sometimes for as little as 100 to 200 won. Like on-site inspectors, delivery workers also hold the status of specially employed workers, forcing them to choose between escaping the heat or earning a commission.

'Deadly Heat' Offers Only Two Survival Choices

Around 5 p.m. on the 10th, Mr. Kim, a delivery driver in his 50s, is showing his weekly delivery records at the mobile worker shelter in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. He worked 7 to 9 hours a day even on days when heatwave warnings were issued. Photo by Jiye Lee

Heatwaves can strike anyone, but not everyone can avoid them. Especially for outdoor and mobile workers, whose income drops the moment they stop working, survival becomes a matter of choosing between health and making a living.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), as of August 10, there were 3,351 cases of heat-related illness and 31 deaths reported. By age group, 1,210 people (36.1%) were aged 65 and older, based on a separate calculation by the KDCA.

Heatwaves threaten not only the elderly but also economically active people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. Among those affected, 892 (26.6%) were in their 30s and 40s, and including those in their 50s, the total rises to 1,419 (42.3%), accounting for 4 out of every 10 heat-illness cases.

Looking at the occupations and places where heat-related illnesses occurred, the risks at worksites stand out even more. Excluding those who are unemployed or homeless, 677 cases (20.2%) involved manual laborers, followed by 235 cases (7.0%) among workers in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. By location, 1,086 cases (32.4%) occurred at indoor and outdoor worksites, 428 (12.8%) on roadsides, and 401 (12.0%) in rice fields. For those who cannot stop working for their livelihood, the heatwave proved even more threatening.

The problem is that even under the same heatwave, opportunities to avoid the heat differ depending on the type of work. Since last year, workplace health regulations have been strengthened, requiring employers to provide at least a 20-minute break every two hours during heatwave operations when the perceived temperature exceeds 33 degrees Celsius. However, workers whose workplaces are not fixed—such as on-site inspectors who move from customer to customer, or delivery workers always out on the streets—face a different situation. For example, measures for delivery workers are limited to providing rest stop information and bottled water. For them, stopping work directly translates to a loss of income. Ultimately, the real dividing line in the danger of heatwaves is not so much how hot it is, but whether you are able to stop working.

Kim Yuntae, professor of sociology at Korea University, said, "A significant proportion of people in their 30s to 50s are involved in outdoor or mobile labor such as construction, road work, and delivery. As the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported rising numbers of heat-related deaths, it is essential to reinforce workplace rules and management systems to prevent or mitigate heat exposure for workers."

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