Harassment of Courier Agency Owner, Case Goes to Court

CJ Logistics Agency Owners Union
12 Suspected Members Accused and Reported

Kim Tae-wan, Senior Vice Chairman of the National Courier Workers' Union, is holding a press conference on the 2nd at the National Federation of Service Industry Unions in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, to announce the investigation results regarding the death of the head of a courier agency in Gimpo. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

The conflict between delivery drivers and agency owners related to the death of a delivery agency owner in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province has ultimately escalated into a legal dispute. The CJ Logistics Agency Association has decided to take legal action against 12 delivery drivers suspected of participating in the harassment related to the death of the agency owner in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province.

According to the delivery industry on the 3rd, the CJ Logistics Agency Association, together with the bereaved family, has appointed the law firm Yulchon and will proceed with complaints and lawsuits regarding the case of Mr. Lee (40), the CJ Logistics delivery agency owner in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, who left a suicide note complaining of harassment by union members and passed away on the 30th of last month.

They explained that they intend to clarify the facts related to the contents of the deceased’s will and hold legally responsible those who caused the tragedy. The related procedures are expected to begin as early as next week.

This case is reportedly being handled by attorney Lee Si-won, who joined Yulchon Law Firm after serving as the chief prosecutor of the Environmental Health Crime Division at the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office. Attorney Lee is an expert mainly handling labor, environmental, and financial cases and plans to review the legal responsibilities related to this agency owner’s death case.

A CJ Logistics Agency Association official stated, "We will take complaints and lawsuits against the 12 delivery drivers who are union members responsible for the collective harassment that led to the agency owner’s death and hold them accountable both civilly and criminally. We are also reviewing whether to expand legal responses nationwide by investigating if similar cases exist within the National Delivery Workers’ Union."

Previously, the deceased agency owner left a suicide note stating that delivery drivers belonging to the delivery union harassed him by demanding the division of delivery zones (‘bungu’) and an increase in delivery fees. The bereaved family appealed in a statement, saying, "Revealing the openly committed collective harassment and violence and holding those responsible accountable is the way to ensure that the deceased’s death is not in vain."

In response, the National Delivery Workers’ Union of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held a press conference the day before, claiming, "While there is responsibility for collective harassment, the direct cause of death lies with the principal company that ignored the agency owner’s poor economic situation."

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