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Couriers cheer 'no delivery' Liberation Day break while businesses chafe

Published: 14 Aug. 2025, 19:37

The photo shows vehicles coming and going at a Coupang logistics center in Seoul on Aug. 6. [YONHAP]

For the fifth year in a row, much of Korea’s delivery network will pause for the Aug. 15 Liberation Day holiday under a government-backed “no-delivery day,” a rare break for couriers that has drawn praise from workers but pushback from small business owners.

CJ Logistics and Hanjin Express will stop deliveries on Thursday and Friday, while Lotte Global Logistics and Logen will do so from Friday to Sunday. Korea Post's parcel service will also stop from Thursday to Monday.

Many couriers welcome the break. A survey of 1,751 CJ Logistics delivery workers conducted on Aug. 6 to 7 found that 70.1 percent planned to go on a family trip, 17.6 percent to rest, 8.7 percent to go out with their kids and 3.6 percent to visit their hometown during the holiday.

Coupang’s logistics subsidiary, Coupang Logistics Service (CLS), which topped the parcel market last year with a 37 percent share, and grocery e-commerce firm Kurly will continue deliveries, citing their existing five-day workweek.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions on Monday held a press conference in front of Coupang’s headquarters in southern Seoul, calling the company “a main culprit in worsening labor conditions for couriers” and warning of a boycott if it does not take days off.

“We ensure adequate rest by having enough backup drivers so that about 30 percent of our couriers have a day off on any given day,” a CLS representative said.

The delivery holiday emerged as parcel volumes soared, from 2.78 billion items in 2019 to 5.96 billion in 2024, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Fierce competition over same-day and dawn deliveries has intensified since, while recent heat waves have drawn attention to poor working conditions. In July alone, three CJ Logistics couriers died on the job.

CJ Logistics delivery trucks are seen at a parcel logistics center in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, on Aug 13. [NEWS1]

The holiday also reflects shifting consumer attitudes that a one- or two-day delivery delay each year is acceptable.

But not all couriers support the delivery holiday, as employment arrangements vary. Most work as independent contractors for delivery companies or their agencies, operating their own vehicles under contract.

Some, particularly at e-commerce firms like Coupang and Kurly, are hired as full-time or indefinite-term employees.

Labor law coverage, social insurance eligibility and working conditions differ by employment type.

Many agency-based couriers lose between 200,000 and 500,000 won ($144 to $360) in income for each day off. The Coupang Partners Alliance, representing subcontracted Coupang couriers, held a rally outside CLS headquarters in southern Seoul on Aug. 7, calling the break “an unnecessary forced holiday” that deprives them of their right to work.

Some small business owners dependent on delivery services also oppose the policy. The National Tax Service reported 570,000 online vendors nationwide as of 2023, many of whom ship goods through parcel companies.

“If parcel companies halt deliveries all at once, it blocks sales channels for small businesses online,” said a representative of an online sellers association. “Perishable goods could go to waste, causing serious damage.”

Jung Yeon-sung, a business professor at Dankook University, said that enforcing a uniform delivery holiday despite diverse working arrangements “inevitably causes controversy.”

“Since taking one day off a year is only a temporary measure, we should address the issue based on a shared understanding that couriers deserve at least a minimal right to rest,” Jung said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM KI-HWAN [[email protected]]