Policymakers review proposal to cap night shifts for delivery workers to 12 per month
Published: 29 Dec. 2025, 21:49
Updated: 30 Dec. 2025, 18:25
![Coupang workers are seen next to a delivery truck at the company's logistics center in Seoul on Dec. 29. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/12/30/db763006-7a9e-405f-8a79-632fa1531ecb.jpg)
Coupang workers are seen next to a delivery truck at the company's logistics center in Seoul on Dec. 29. [YONHAP]
Korean policymakers on Monday reviewed a proposal to cap night shifts for parcel delivery workers at 12 per month and limit consecutive overnight work to four days, as the government looks to rein in health risks tied to overnight deliveries.
The recommendations were presented at a government-led consultative meeting on parcel delivery labor at its final session of the year on Monday. The committee brings together lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party (DP), the government, delivery workers’ unions and major parcel companies.
An interim report on the health risks of night work for parcel delivery workers, presented the same day, focused on tighter regulation of working hours rather than an outright ban on overnight delivery services. It called for limiting total night work to no more than 12 shifts a month while keeping average weekly working hours within the legal ceiling of 52 hours.
Under Korea's labor law, night work is classified as from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day.
Under the proposal, night work would be calculated with an extra 30 percent, meaning delivery workers would not be allowed to perform overnight deliveries beyond 40 standard hours a week. The report also recommends banning stretches of more than four consecutive days of overnight work.
The study was commissioned by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and conducted by a research team led by Kim Hyoung-ryoul, a professor of occupational and environmental medicine at the Catholic University of Korea. It examines the health impacts of night labor and outlines measures to gradually reduce overnight work. The delivery committee said it would use the findings as a basis for drafting regulations on overnight delivery services.
The report also emphasizes the need for compensation measures to protect workers’ incomes as working hours decline. Without adequate safeguards, delivery drivers may be forced to take on additional jobs, it said.
The study recommends managing individual working hours by linking delivery fees and per-package rates, and calls for incentives for daytime deliveries alongside higher fees for night deliveries.
It also urges support measures for small operators, including potential assistance from local governments, arguing that higher delivery costs could help curb excessive demand for overnight services.
If adopted, the proposals would likely lead to higher fees for overnight deliveries. The report explicitly refers to raising night delivery charges.
Yoon Dong-yeol, a professor of business administration at Konkuk University, said the key issue would be how to distribute the added costs.
“Everyone agrees that overnight deliveries are harmful to workers’ health, but the key is finding a point of agreement on who bears the cost,” he said. “If regulators approach a widely used service with abrupt restrictions, the burden could end up being pushed entirely onto workers and consumers.”
![Delivery workers carry signs with the slogan ″Life over speed″ during a protest in front of Dongsipjagak Pavilion in central Seoul on Nov. 23. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/12/30/9c14d151-568d-477a-976d-1c699b3cc939.jpg)
Delivery workers carry signs with the slogan ″Life over speed″ during a protest in front of Dongsipjagak Pavilion in central Seoul on Nov. 23. [NEWS1]
Some consumers have already started protesting. A petition opposing restrictions or a ban on overnight deliveries, posted on the National Assembly’s public petition board on Nov. 13, drew 67,928 signatures by Dec. 13, surpassing the 50,000-signature threshold required for automatic referral to a parliamentary standing committee.
The petitioner, who identified herself as a working mother in a dual-income household, said overnight deliveries are "essential" for families returning home late.
“A blanket ban would only lead to greater inconvenience and social conflict," the petitioner said.
Many delivery workers have also spoken out against tighter restrictions. In a survey conducted by the Coupang Partners Association — a group representing delivery firms and drivers working with Coupang’s logistics unit — 93 percent of respondents said they opposed a ban on overnight deliveries.
“Who will take responsibility for the job insecurity and wage losses that would result from banning overnight deliveries?” Jung Jin-young, head of Coupang’s labor union, said at the National Assembly. “It is an unrealistic idea that undermines the foundations of the parcel delivery industry.”
“We have agreed to focus discussions on whether to exclude additional tasks such as parcel sorting or the collection of reusable boxes from delivery workers’ duties, and, if so, how to set appropriate daily and weekly working hours,” said Lee Yong-woo, a DP lawmaker. “I expect discussions to move forward at a faster pace starting early next year.”
He said the parties aim to reach an agreement as early as before the Lunar New Year holiday, which falls in February in 2026.
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 YEON-JOO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)