Key facts
- A 27-year-old South Korean warehouse worker died of a heart attack, with his death attributed to overwork by the state insurer.
- The incident highlights concerns over the human cost of the country's booming overnight delivery industry, particularly night shifts.
- Families and unions are advocating for a ban on night-time deliveries due to health risks, including cardiovascular disease and cancer.
- Despite health risks, many drivers prefer night shifts for higher pay, with some working over 60 hours per week.
- Investigations are underway into Coupang, South Korea's largest online retailer, over alleged attempts to conceal evidence of worker overwork.
The human cost of South Korea's rapid expansion of ultra-convenient overnight delivery services is under intense scrutiny following the death of a 27-year-old warehouse worker from overwork.
Jang Deok-jun died of a heart attack in 2020, a death later ruled by the state-run insurer Comwel to be work-related due to overwork. His mother, Park Mi-suk, has been fighting for years to highlight the dangers of night-time deliveries, which she believes are responsible for her son's death. Jang had been working overnight shifts at a warehouse for Coupang, the country's largest online retailer, for over a year, losing significant weight and frequently complaining of exhaustion.
South Korea's delivery industry, which guarantees delivery by 7 a.m. for orders placed before midnight, relies on a vast overnight workforce. Companies compete to offer speedy and cheap deliveries, with Coupang being the dominant player. However, concerns are mounting about the working conditions. Between 2020 and May 2026, Comwel ruled that 46 warehouse and delivery workers died from strokes or heart disease, with Jang's case being one of them. The data on work-related deaths is considered patchy, and the workers' union argues that night-time work is more harmful in the long term, citing evidence linking it to increased risks of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer.
Unlike the UK, South Korea does not limit overnight working hours. While some workers, like Coupang driver Kim, choose night shifts for higher pay—earning around 7 million won ($4,600) per month, nearly double the national average—they acknowledge the physical toll. Kim described working from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., five to six days a week, with no breaks and constant pressure to complete deliveries to avoid losing his work territory.
Park Mi-suk has faced challenges in holding employers accountable, noting that the burden of proof for overwork often falls on the family. She had to push for months to obtain her son's work logs and CCTV footage. Leaked information suggested Coupang's chairman may have ordered the removal of mentions of Jang's hard work from internal reports, a claim Coupang denies as groundless. The union has filed a criminal complaint, and police have launched an investigation into the company.
Another case, that of 34-year-old Oh Seung-yong, who died after crashing his truck during a delivery run, was also ruled an occupational death by Comwel. His sister testified that his work logs showed he was working long hours, six days a week, mostly at night, and even continued deliveries after his father's death days earlier.