Eight Delivery Workers Collapsed... Power Struggle Over Witnesses at the Environment and Labor Committee Hearing

Opposition Requests CJ Logistics CEO as Witness
Opposition Also Calls for Eastar Jet and Incheon Airport Corporation
Government and National Assembly's Calls to Protect Delivery Workers Fall Flat

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] "When the news said that seven delivery workers died from overwork, I cried, hitting my chest because they felt like my own children... my son was the last..." (Father of delivery worker Kim (48))

The father of Kim, who was a delivery worker at CJ Logistics, was left speechless on the 12th in front of the funeral hall at Eulji University Hospital in Nowon-gu, Seoul. He only held his son's worn delivery uniform and shed endless tears. On the day of his death, Kim only told his father, "I will be later than yesterday," and never returned home. The death on the day the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee (E&L Committee) held a government audit of the Ministry of Employment and Labor made the voices of the government and the National Assembly, who vowed to protect delivery workers, meaningless.

At the E&L Committee's government audit, even the adoption of related witnesses is facing difficulties. This is because the ruling and opposition parties are locked in a fierce confrontation and only engage in power struggles. This year, eight delivery workers have died from suspected overwork, five of whom belonged to CJ Logistics, the industry's number one company. The Democratic Party of Korea wants to summon the president of CJ Logistics and others as witnesses, but the People Power Party insists that only witnesses desired by the ruling party cannot be adopted, and that witnesses from Incheon International Airport Corporation and Eastar Jet should also appear.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Democratic Party lawmaker Yang Yi-won said before the Meteorological Administration audit the day before, "As confirmed in the last audit, sorting items continues until 2 to 3 p.m. The unpaid labor and excessive work are extremely serious, and unless CJ Logistics changes this system where workers labor for more than ten hours a day, the procession of deaths will inevitably continue," adding, "In this comprehensive audit, the president of CJ Logistics must come and provide responsible answers on how to change the system so that delivery workers are no longer driven to death."

Song Ok-joo, chairperson of the E&L Committee and a Democratic Party lawmaker, said, "There is a field inspection schedule related to CJ Logistics," adding, "It would be good to carefully reflect on it when establishing the schedule, and I ask the ruling and opposition party secretaries to review how to adopt witnesses during the comprehensive audit."

Kim died on the evening of the 8th around 7:30 p.m. while delivering parcels in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, after suddenly experiencing breathing difficulties and being taken to the hospital. He started work every day around 6:30 a.m. and finished around 9 to 10 p.m. He worked more than 14 to 15 hours daily on average and delivered about 400 parcels. Although the government and the delivery industry promised to increase sorting personnel at least during the Chuseok peak season, the situation varied greatly by workplace. According to the Delivery Workers Overwork Death Countermeasures Committee, the delivery agency where Kim worked did not increase personnel, and delivery workers had to do sorting work themselves. Although he died during work, he cannot receive recognition for industrial accident compensation because an application for exclusion from industrial accident insurance was submitted. The committee claims, "The agency where Kim worked gathered 13 delivery workers last summer and made them fill out exclusion applications for industrial accident insurance."

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