Courier Union: "Some Members Directed Sarcasm and Mockery Toward Agency Owners"

Kim Tae-wan, Senior Vice Chairman of the National Courier Workers' Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Service Federation, is observing a moment of silence on the afternoon of the 2nd at the Service Federation in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, ahead of the union's announcement of its own investigation results regarding the death of a courier agency manager.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The National Courier Workers' Union confirmed that some union members engaged in harassing behavior related to the case of a CJ Logistics agency owner who left a suicide note blaming the union and passed away on the 30th of last month.

At a press conference held on the 2nd, the Courier Workers' Union stated, "Some union members posted messages in the group chat that could have caused the deceased to feel human humiliation," adding, "There were no abusive or profane remarks, but there were complaints about the agency owner and content involving sarcasm and ridicule."

The union explained that it investigated conversations from the group chat over about four months since the union was established in May at the CJ Logistics Janggi Agency in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, which was operated by the deceased agency owner. The Courier Workers' Union said, "The union will accept social criticism," and added, "Regardless of the police's conclusion on the legality of the matter, the relevant union members will be referred to the union disciplinary committee according to the regulations and held strictly accountable."

It is known that Mr. A experienced conflicts as the union demanded an increase in delivery fees, and that union members refused to perform some deliveries, with Mr. A and his family filling in for those gaps.

Mr. A submitted a letter of agency abandonment to the original contractor, CJ Logistics, with the deadline for abandonment being the day before his death. Regarding this, the CJ Logistics Agency Association claimed that conflicts arose as the union continuously demanded subdivision for agency establishment. The Courier Workers' Union asserted, "The union never requested the deceased to 'abandon the agency' through any means such as official documents, rallies, or group chats. It was revealed that the letter of agency abandonment was submitted at the request of the original contractor (branch manager)."

They also released a recorded phone conversation with the CJ Logistics Gimpo branch manager. The recording included the statement, "My goal was to prevent the deceased from establishing a foothold at the Janggi agency by selecting a new agency owner."

The union said, "The deceased had a strong will to operate even one subdivided agency despite severe financial difficulties to the extent of selling his house, but the Gimpo branch manager crushed even his last hope," and added, "CJ Logistics is the decisive cause."

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