"Can't Study, So Just Deliver?" A Farce Created by the Academic Credential Society

Double Delivery Due to Academy's Mistake
Returned with Abusive Language Toward Rider
Public Outrage After Release of Recording

On the afternoon of the 2nd, a delivery rider stopped his motorcycle near Gwanghwamun Station in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to take a short break and quench his thirst. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] Citizens are outraged by verbal abuse directed at riders, who have become the lifeline of contactless consumption amid the spread of COVID-19. There are also voices of self-reflection calling for the correction of the culture that looks down on labor done on foot.

According to a transcript released online on the 4th by Rider Union, a delivery worker from company A went to deliver food to an academy located in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, on the 1st following a delivery request from a restaurant. However, the academy had incorrectly entered the address on the delivery app, causing the rider to make two deliveries. The rider then requested a delivery fee of 3,000 won from the orderer, Mr. B, who did not have cash and said he would transfer the money via bank transfer, making the rider wait outside for about 5 to 10 minutes. Afterwards, Mr. B called the delivery company to express dissatisfaction and made a personal attack, saying, "You only know how to do that, so you are just doing deliveries there." Despite the delivery company operator responding, "Your words are harsh," Mr. B continued to spew abusive language, saying, "If you had studied well and gone to school, would you be doing deliveries now?"

After the transcript was made public online, social media posts appeared saying, "Many people who graduated from university work honestly in delivery jobs," and "Riders have much more respectable jobs than people who lack respect." As the controversy spread, the academy stated, "The orderer in question was confirmed to be a shuttle helper, not an academy instructor," adding, "He worked as a shuttle helper for about a month, and both the head office and the franchise deeply regret this unfortunate incident."

Delivery workers complain that as delivery demand increased due to COVID-19, their workload intensified and some consumers' abusive behavior also increased. Delivery worker organizations such as the Rider Union and the Delivery Service Branch of the General Service Labor Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions filed a petition with the National Human Rights Commission on the 1st and 2nd, urging improvements to abusive behavior. Professor Hong-sik Yoo of Chung-Ang University's Department of Media Communication said, "Riders are those who should be respected as they have helped society endure the COVID-19 era," diagnosing that "this phenomenon arose because our society excessively pursues money and power."

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