"Delivery Trucks Prohibited from Complex Entry" Excessive 'Gapjil' Against Delivery Workers Continues

No Entry Inside Complex, Deliver on Foot... Abuse Continues
15 Deaths from Overwork This Year Alone
Parcel Union "Need to Consider Finding a Compromise"

An apartment in Dasan New Town, Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, where the issue of delivery vehicles being denied entry into the complex arose in 2018. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy reporters Han Seung-gon and Kang Joo-hee] Despite the ongoing incidents of delivery drivers dying from overwork, it has been revealed that abusive behavior toward delivery drivers remains severe in some apartment complexes, sparking public outrage.

There are also cases where delivery vehicles are prohibited from passing through apartment complexes for safety and other reasons. As a result, there are urgent calls for measures to improve the treatment of delivery drivers and to resolve conflicts between residents using delivery services and the drivers themselves.

The Delivery Solidarity Labor Union emphasized that since delivery services are closely linked to the daily lives of users, efforts to find a compromise should be made together. They also urged the government and local authorities to propose concrete countermeasures, such as installing parcel lockers within apartment complexes.

Recently, some apartments in Seoul and Daejeon have banned delivery vehicles from entering their complexes due to risks of accidents and safety concerns. Consequently, delivery drivers have to park their vehicles outside the complexes and carry the parcels individually to the delivery destinations. When the volume is large, drivers must shuttle dozens of times between their vehicles and each building, causing delays and significant difficulties.

The issue of refusing delivery vehicles entry into apartment complexes first surfaced in 2018 at a newly built apartment complex in Dasan New Town, Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. At that time, delivery drivers protested against residents' opposition by refusing to deliver, resulting in what was called a "delivery crisis."

Subsequently, the government proposed solutions such as "Silver Delivery," which utilizes elderly local residents, but since the government and local authorities were to cover half the costs, criticism arose questioning why taxpayers' money should be used to solve delivery problems in specific apartments, leading to the plan's collapse.

Officials from the Committee for Measures Against Overwork Deaths of Delivery Workers held a press conference last September demanding measures against overwork deaths. Photo by Yonhap News

Although delivery drivers continue to die from overwork, it has been confirmed that excessive abusive behavior toward them is severe, provoking public outrage.

According to the delivery union, 15 delivery drivers are estimated to have died from overwork this year alone, marking a sharp increase compared to previous years. The Ministry of Employment and Labor's "Delivery Logistics Statistics and Delivery Worker Industrial Accident Status over the Past Five Years" shows that the number of delivery worker deaths due to industrial accidents was 4 in 2015, 1 in 2016, 4 in 2017, 3 in 2018, and 2 in 2019.

In response, the government announced on the 12th the "Measures to Prevent Overwork of Delivery Drivers" aimed at improving their working conditions. Specific measures include ▲setting a maximum daily working hour limit ▲restricting late-night deliveries after 10 p.m. ▲expanding a five-day workweek including Saturdays off ▲establishing a volume adjustment system ▲expanding industrial accident insurance ▲applying employment insurance ▲and promoting the use of standard contracts.

However, there are criticisms that these measures do not resolve conflicts arising between delivery drivers and users during the delivery process. There is a growing call for concrete measures to improve drivers' treatment and to resolve conflicts during deliveries.

The National Delivery Solidarity Labor Union stressed that since delivery services are closely intertwined with users' daily lives, efforts to find compromises should be made together. They also pointed out the need for concrete countermeasures such as installing parcel lockers within apartment complexes by the government and local authorities.

Kim Se-gyu, Director of Education and Public Relations at the National Delivery Solidarity Labor Union, told Asia Economy in a phone interview, "Regarding apartment access issues, I think residents' demands concerning children's safety and aesthetics should be respected to some extent. However, delivery drivers are paid per delivery, not hourly, so how many parcels they deliver within a certain time is very important."

He continued, "This problem cannot be solved by unilateral concessions from delivery drivers. There are solutions like installing shared parcel lockers in spaces where vehicles can move within complexes, but it is difficult for delivery drivers to propose this to residents. The government and local authorities need to step in, and since residents' daily lives are closely connected to delivery services, I hope they will also consider compromises to resolve conflicts."

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