South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang faces severe labor issues with overnight delivery and overwork deaths

In recent years, Coupang in South Korea has faced a series of issues including worker deaths from overwork and personal information leaks. Workers and citizen groups have raised concerns about overwork in logistics centers and delivery personnel, stating that overnight deliveries cause significant harm to the body. A coalition of citizen groups and labor unions, 'Safe Coupang Joint Action,' held a press conference for foreign media at the office of Citizen Participation Solidarity (PSPD) to discuss issues such as personal information leaks and worker deaths at Coupang. Jo Hye-jin, the policy director of the Korean Public Service and Transportation Workers' Union (KPTU), pointed out that Coupang not only faced a large-scale personal information leak last year but has also long been violating labor rights, including suppressing unions and multiple cases of worker deaths from overwork. Jo Hye-jin stated that according to union statistics, at least 31 workers have died in Coupang's logistics centers from 2020 to 2025. She noted that the logistics centers operate 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, with tens of thousands of workers constantly present. Jo Hye-jin demanded that Coupang take measures to improve the dangerous and harsh working conditions in the logistics centers and actively engage in dialogue with the union regarding the demands of frontline workers. Gang Min-uk, the head of the Coupang division of the National Delivery Workers' Union, stated that many delivery workers are working under the threat of death from overwork, and that working conditions and working hours lack legal regulations. The government has designated August 14 as a 'No Delivery Day' to ensure rest time for delivery workers, but Coupang has never participated in this initiative, whether through social agreements or the 'No Delivery Day.' Gang Min-uk also mentioned that, without the implementation of measures to prevent overwork, Coupang is further expanding overnight and early morning deliveries nationwide. Additionally, Coupang uses recyclable ice packs for the delivery of fresh food, which increases the burden on delivery workers. Gang Min-uk claimed that Coupang has fired delivery workers who refused this work. The National Delivery Workers' Union emphasized that they have never advocated for a complete ban on overnight deliveries. 'We only demand the establishment of a delivery system that will not lead to workers' deaths.' Taiwan is a core overseas e-commerce market for Coupang, and the participating groups are also concerned about personal information leaks and worker overwork issues in Taiwan. Gang Min-uk stated, 'I believe everyone must understand how detrimental morning and night work is to workers' health, especially for labor that involves lifting heavy objects.' The joint representative of the Coupang Workers' Health and Human Rights Strategy Committee, Kwanguk, also stated that if overnight deliveries become the norm, as in South Korea, it could have adverse effects on the entire society. 'This is not just an issue of overnight deliveries; it could lead to the collapse of the labor system itself.'