A view of the Seoul Integrated Logistics Center, brightly lit even in the early morning hours. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — A public petition opposing a potential ban on South Korea’s popular dawn delivery services surpassed 25,000 signatures on Thursday, one day before a government-labor-industry dialogue committee is set to meet for a third round of discussions on the issue.
The petition, filed by a self-described working mother, argues that overnight delivery has become essential for dual-income households who rely on early-morning access to daily necessities.
As of 1:30 p.m., more than 25,100 people had signed. If the petition reaches 50,000 signatures by Dec. 13, it will be automatically referred to the National Assembly’s relevant committee.
Industry officials note that more than 20 million people — from working parents to small business owners who restock ingredients before dawn — now depend on the service. “Dawn delivery has become part of daily infrastructure, like subways and buses,” one retail official said, adding that opposition to a ban is strong.
But the convenience has come with controversy. Labor groups have long argued that overnight delivery schedules endanger drivers’ health, linking the practice to overwork and even deaths. Delivery workers’ unions have urged a significant reduction in overnight operations, saying “life must come before speed.”
Employment and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon recently underscored the health risks, noting that night-shift work is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a Group 2 carcinogen. “If dawn delivery is a service society decides must continue, we need a discussion on how to protect the workers who shoulder its burden,” he said.
Market Kurly delivery trucks make early-morning rounds as part of the company’s signature fresh grocery delivery service. (Courtesy of Market Kurly)
The tripartite dialogue committee — which includes the Democratic Party’s labor committee, the transport ministry, major delivery firms such as Coupang, Market Kurly and CJ Logistics, as well as both national labor federations — will convene its third meeting on Friday.
Yet the talks face growing criticism for excluding key stakeholders, including ordinary consumers, small merchants and independent delivery drivers who are not union members.
The Coupang Partners Association, representing 10,000 subcontracted delivery drivers, said that leaving frontline workers out of the formal discussion risks distorting policy. “Those who actually run dawn delivery should be official participants, not mere observers,” the group said.
Others in the logistics sector argue that platform-based delivery systems differ fundamentally from traditional courier models and require tailored policy approaches. Some experts suggest that rather than imposing an outright ban, the government should explore safeguards that would allow dawn delivery services to continue while ensuring workers’ health and safety.
The debate highlights a deeper tension between consumer convenience, evolving logistics business models and the urgent need to protect workers in one of the country’s most labor-intensive industries.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
