“South Korea: Delivery Driver’s Death Raises Concern on Overwork,” 29 June 2024

Allegations of death by overwork have surfaced following the passing of a 40-year-old delivery driver who had been working for Coupang’s late-night Rocket Delivery service. 

… On June 27, the Committee for Countermeasures Against Overwork Deaths of Delivery Workers and the family of the deceased … claimed Jung [the deceased delivery driver], … died from overwork. 

… The hospital reported the cause of death as ventricular fibrillation and suspected myocardial infarction, which the committee described as cardiovascular diseases typically associated with overwork-related deaths. 

Jung typically worked from 8:30 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. the following day, approximately 10 hours and 30 minutes daily, six days a week. His average weekly working hours were 63 hours, or 77 hours when accounting for a 30% night shift premium.

… They explained that according to the contract between Coupang CLS and its agencies, failure to complete deliveries by 7 a.m. could result in the termination of the agency’s contract or the revocation of delivery zones.

The committee also challenged Coupang’s previous stance that deceased delivery drivers were not direct employees….

In response, Coupang stated, “The working hours and workload of delivery drivers are determined through agreement between the delivery agency and the driver.”