"Ding Dong, Delivery Arrived"—Delivery Riders Know the Main Door Code... Are They Sex Offenders?

"Sex Offender Riders Can't Be Filtered Out"

Legal and Platform Loopholes Persist

Existing Delivery Drivers Remain; Gaps in Retroactive Application

Criminal Records Overlooked Without Platform Re-verification

Court Rulings Effec

Han, a 49-year-old parent raising two elementary school children in Jungnang-gu, Seoul, says she feels anxious every time she orders delivery food these days. This is because rumors have started circulating that a person who appears on the "Sex Offender Notification e" service is working as a delivery person in her neighborhood. Han said, "I'm worried that a delivery driver, who can freely enter and leave by entering the main door password, could be a violent criminal," adding, "I'm scared something might happen when only my kids are at home."

It has been a year since the law preventing those with convictions for serious crimes—such as sexual offenses or drug crimes—from working in delivery services was enacted, but loopholes remain because the law is not applied retroactively and related procedures have not been established by the platforms. Experts point out that not only institutional improvements but also responsible verification procedures at the platform level are necessary.

In September 2024, a sighting of a delivery rider wearing an electronic ankle monitor was posted on an online community. The photo shows a delivery rider wearing an electronic ankle monitor, posted on the online community "BobaeDream." Photo by Online Community Capture

The Law Has Changed, but Loopholes Remain Due to No Retroactive Application

According to the Ministry of Justice and the delivery industry on March 18, the amended "Act on the Development of the Logistics Service Industry" (Saengmul Act) came into effect in January 2025. Under the amendment, individuals with a criminal record for serious offenses such as murder, rape, robbery, abduction, or drug-related crimes are banned from working as delivery drivers or in small parcel delivery service businesses for two to twenty years. Delivery service operators are now required to check criminal records when hiring drivers.

However, the enforcement decree of this law only applies these restrictions to "new hires," meaning that drivers who were already contracted before the law took effect can continue working in the delivery industry. This creates a loophole where retroactive application is not possible. If a person was already under contract before the law came into effect, they are exempt from criminal background checks. Due to the nature of the platform, there is no contract renewal process, so if someone was registered as a rider in the past, even those with a history of serious crimes can continue working as delivery drivers without any restrictions.

According to interviews conducted by The Asia Business Daily, all 10 drivers with over five years of experience said they had never been asked by the platform to reconfirm their criminal records since the law was implemented. "Once you are registered, there is no reconfirmation process for 10 or even 20 years," they said. As a result, concerns are rising among the drivers themselves. On the country’s leading delivery driver online community, there are many posts expressing frustration that "because of a few criminals, even diligent riders are being suspected."

The platforms, citing "practical difficulties," are taking a hands-off approach. A representative of a major delivery platform said, "With the number of delivery drivers nationwide approaching 400,000, it is unreasonable to conduct a full review of all current workers without legal enforcement," adding, "Platforms do not have the authority to check criminal records at any time due to personal information protection laws."

'Electronic Ankle Monitor Wearers' Still Entering Our Homes

The problem is that even those classified as high-risk—such as individuals required to wear a location-tracking electronic device (electronic ankle monitor)—can still work as delivery drivers. As of 2019, out of 3,296 individuals under supervision, 633 (19.2%) were classified as day laborers, and at the time, the National Assembly pointed out that a significant number of these were delivery drivers.

Since then, the Ministry of Justice has started classifying delivery drivers under the "other" category rather than "day labor" for management efficiency. As of January 2026, out of 3,231 individuals required to wear electronic ankle monitors, 428 (13.2%) are categorized as working in "other" industries, but the exact number of delivery drivers among them has not been disclosed. A Ministry of Justice official said, "We are strengthening management by checking for violations of compliance requirements," but admitted, "It is true that some still exist."

The Ministry of Justice claims to effectively limit employment in delivery services through compliance requirements, such as restrictions on nighttime outings or bans on entering certain areas. However, as long as these specific conditions are avoided, these individuals can still work as delivery drivers. The official explained, "The court must recognize a significant reason to change the compliance requirements, but if the request is denied on the grounds of freedom of occupational choice, there is no basis for prohibition."

Experts call this situation a "serious contradiction." Lee Unghyuk, a professor at Konkuk University's Department of Police Administration, said, "It is a serious contradiction that the state monitors these individuals with electronic ankle monitors but still legally allows them to approach citizens' front doors," emphasizing, "Platforms should not use their structural characteristics as an excuse to avoid social responsibility, but should fix these loopholes by requiring periodic contract renewals and rechecking criminal histories."

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