"Shopping Cart, 40,000 Steps a Day... Son, 'Mom, I'm So Tired' as Soon as He Gets Home"

MBC 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' Interview
"Says He Pulls a Cart 26km a Day"

Kim Gil-seong, the father of a worker who died while managing shopping carts at Costco Hanam branch, said his son showed signs of exhaustion due to excessive workload when he came home from work.

In an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the 31st, Kim said, "Every time he came home, he was very tired and said he was exhausted. On Saturday, June 17, two days before his death, he lay down flat as soon as he got home and told his mother, 'I walked 43,000 steps today,' showing how exhausted he was."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is observing the site of a worker's fatal accident at Costco Hanam branch on the 11th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

He added, "(My son) started work at 12 o'clock that day and worked an extra hour, finishing at 10 p.m. By 10 p.m., he had walked 43,000 steps, about 26 km, while pulling heavy metal carts during his work."

Kim's son was reassigned to the parking department on June 5, and the accident occurred just two weeks later. Kim said, "My son joined in April 2019, and after about a month, he was reassigned to cashier duties. He worked there for 4 years and 2 months until a vacancy opened in the parking department, so he was transferred there on June 5. It is very tragic that such a fatal accident happened during the short period he was adapting to the new role."

He continued, "From what I heard, iceboxes are provided on each floor, and the air coolers sometimes work and sometimes don't. I visited twice and saw that the air circulation devices were turned on more than before, but I understand they are not kept on continuously," describing his son's working environment as very poor.

He added, "Costco carts are very heavy. I visited several times and saw parking department staff performing their duties, carrying carts tied with rubber bands on their shoulders, which was very heartbreaking. When I heard my son was assigned to the parking department, I strongly advised against it."

Kim said, "After my son's death, many colleagues came to offer condolences, and I am truly grateful. I hope the company listens to its employees from now on and actively improves the working environment so that my son's accident will not be in vain."

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