A delivery driver in his 30s, affiliated with a Coupang partner company, passed away in Jeju while returning to a logistics center after completing his deliveries. According to Jeju Fire and Safety Headquarters, the accident occurred around 2:10 a.m. on the 10th when a 1-ton truck driven by the man crashed into a utility pole in Ora 2-dong, Jeju City. Despite being taken to the hospital with severe injuries, he unfortunately succumbed.
The man was a special employment contract worker responsible for early morning deliveries at the Coupang 1 Camp in Jeju. Reports indicate that he worked night shifts, starting at 7 p.m. and finishing at 7 a.m. the next day, essentially working at least 12 hours a day. Police suspect the accident might have occurred due to drowsy driving as he was returning to the logistics center after completing deliveries. The National Courier Union’s Jeju branch mentioned that the accident occurred when he was fatigued, having just attended his father’s funeral a few days prior.
The incident has prompted discussions on the need to redesign the work structure, as several similar cases have been reported. In May of the previous year, 41-year-old Jeong Seul-gi, another Coupang delivery driver, died from overwork, with ventricular fibrillation and myocardial infarction cited as the causes. Jeong regularly worked from 8:30 p.m. to 7 a.m., about 10.5 hours a day, six days a week, and the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service classified it as an industrial accident due to overwork.
In July of the previous year, a delivery driver in his 50s also died from a myocardial infarction after working more than 60 hours a week at night for Coupang’s early morning deliveries, similarly classified as an occupational disease by the workers’ compensation agency.
Both deaths highlight the common issue of “over 60 hours a week and fixed early morning shifts,” with continuous night work being a contributing factor. Song Kyung-nam, head of the National Courier Union’s Jeju branch, remarked to KBS that night labor poses additional threats under the special employment structure, which often bypasses standard labor law protections due to yearly contracts. He emphasized the necessity of restructuring tasks, such as redistributing workload during nighttime, to consider the health of courier workers.