Tragic Surge: South Korea’s Delivery Workers Face Deadly Year as Death Benefit Applications Soar

In the first half of 2025, bereaved families of express delivery service workers in South Korea filed 10 applications for government death benefits, just two cases shy of the 12 submitted for the entire year of 2024, according to government data released Wednesday.

Data from the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service, obtained and released by Rep. Kim Ui-sang of the People Power Party, shows that seven of the 10 applications have been approved so far. Last year, nine of the 12 applications received approval.

Under Article 62 of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act, families of workers whose deaths are attributed to occupational causes are eligible to apply for survivors’ benefits.

Between 2020 and 2024, the annual number of applications for industrial accident-related death benefits never exceeded 14. This makes the first half of 2025 one of the deadliest periods in recent years for South Korea’s package delivery industry, known locally as taekbae.

Of this year’s 10 applications, three were related to deaths caused by work-related accidents, matching the total number filed in 2024. All three cases this year were approved, compared to two out of three last year.

Six applications were filed for deaths resulting from occupational diseases, with three approved so far. Occupational diseases typically refer to illnesses directly related to job duties, which for delivery workers often involve musculoskeletal issues.

The remaining application was for a death that occurred during the commute to work.

Express package delivery service has become an integral part of daily life in South Korea, driven by the widespread adoption of e-commerce. An October report by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry found that in 2023, South Koreans used express delivery services an average of about 100 times per person.

However, concerns have been raised about the health risks faced by delivery workers, many of whom are overworked. KWCWS data released in September revealed that 69.7 percent of package delivery workers’ deaths from 2020 to 2022 were attributed to overwork.

\”We need to reassess the current industrial safety system to ensure it provides adequate protection for those working in the e-commerce sector, particularly against factors like extreme heat due to unusual weather and excessive workloads,\” Rep. Kim stated.

Regarding total industrial accidents in the express package delivery sector during the first half of 2025, 757 applications for compensation were filed, with 680 approved. This figure is not significantly high compared to the 1,556 filed in 2024, of which 1,424 were approved.

However, the number of applications for industrial accidents has skyrocketed from 326 in 2020.

By far, the most common industrial accidents for package delivery workers in the first half of the year were general accidents, with 595 out of 627 applications approved. A total of 86 applications were filed for occupational diseases, with musculoskeletal health issues accounting for 70 of these cases.