[Newsmaker] Another delivery worker dies from apparent overwork

Another parcel delivery worker was found dead from apparent overwork last weekend, a labor union said Monday.

The 48-year-old man, surnamed Lee, was found dead by police at his "gosiwon," a low-cost accommodation facility, in southeastern Seoul on Saturday afternoon, according to the Taekbae Union, which represents couriers here.

Lee, who was employed by Coupang Corp., the country's leading e-commerce operator, is the latest delivery worker to die from apparent overwork. Last year, 16 couriers died, according to the union, amid increased demand for deliveries due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Lee left his home in Changwon, about 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul, last year to work as a contract worker for Coupang. He was later given a full-time position on the nighttime shift, the union said.

Lee's wife called the police on Saturday after she could not reach her husband.

"The deceased often spoke to his wife about the difficulties of late-night work," the union said. "He went to work at 9 p.m. to handle only late night and early morning deliveries and normally returned to his gosiwon around 8 a.m."

Lee earned 2.8 million won ($2,480) a month, which was just over the minimum wage considering he worked at night, according to the union.

An autopsy has been scheduled for Monday morning to determine the exact cause of his death, the Seoul Songpa Police Station said.

Unionized delivery workers have continued to demand that logistics firms improve their working conditions to prevent deaths from overwork. (Yonhap)