Morning Delivery Debate: Han Dong-hoon vs. Jang Hye-young on Differing Perspectives

A debate has intensified between former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon and former Justice Party lawmaker Jang Hye-young regarding measures to limit early morning delivery services, with differing opinions on solutions to prevent overwork-related deaths among delivery workers. This issue arose from conflicting views on the proposal by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions ( 택배노조 ) to restrict morning deliveries.

Han Dong-hoon and Jang Hye-young previously appeared together on CBS Radio's '박재홍의 한판승부' (Park Jae-hong's Showdown), where they expressed contrasting perspectives on limiting morning deliveries. At the time, Han Dong-hoon emphasized that morning delivery is a matter of consumer choice and cautioned against regulation.

Conversely, Jang Hye-young prioritized preventing overwork-related deaths among delivery workers and stressed the necessity of limiting morning deliveries. She pointed out that "The deadly workload of delivery workers is a social problem that can no longer be overlooked, and morning delivery further exacerbates this issue."

Jang Hye-young argued for reasonable regulations on morning deliveries to protect the health and safety of delivery workers.

The 택배노조 (Delivery Workers' Union) insists that delivery workers suffer from severe sleep deprivation and overwork due to morning deliveries, demanding restrictions on delivery work during early morning hours. An official from the 택배노조 (Delivery Workers' Union) emphasized, "Morning delivery seriously threatens the health of workers, which leads to safety issues."

The 택배노조 (Delivery Workers' Union) argues that limiting morning deliveries will guarantee workers' basic health rights and contribute to improving the quality of delivery services in the long term.

A survey conducted by the Coupang Partners Association among 2,045 drivers engaged in morning deliveries revealed mixed opinions on limiting morning deliveries. According to the survey results, some drivers positively evaluated the ability to earn more income through morning deliveries, while others expressed concerns about overwork and deteriorating health due to morning deliveries.

The debate surrounding morning delivery highlights the complex conflict between improving the working environment for delivery workers and consumer convenience. Some experts suggest considering measures such as adjusting morning delivery hours or ensuring sufficient rest time for delivery workers.

The introduction of automation technology to reduce the workload of delivery workers has also been suggested as a potential solution. The delivery industry is making various efforts to improve the working conditions of workers.

Some delivery companies are expanding investments to improve welfare, such as supporting health checkups for delivery workers and providing psychological counseling programs. The government is also actively working on policies to improve the working environment for delivery workers.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is strengthening regulations to protect the rights and interests of delivery workers and making multifaceted efforts to improve the safety management system for delivery services.

The discussion surrounding the restriction of morning deliveries presents an important challenge in finding a balance between improving the working environment for delivery workers and consumer convenience. Currently, discussions on enacting a law to prevent overwork-related deaths among delivery workers are actively underway in the National Assembly.

The bill includes key provisions such as limiting the working hours of delivery workers, ensuring sufficient rest time, and supporting health checkups. Social discussions should be conducted more deeply to improve the poor working conditions of delivery workers and prevent overwork-related deaths.

The National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee is focusing on gathering opinions from related stakeholders and coordinating the details of the bill to enact a law preventing overwork-related deaths among delivery workers. Depending on the passage of the bill, significant changes are expected in the morning delivery system of the delivery industry.

Meanwhile, there is a growing voice that consumers should enjoy the convenience of morning delivery services while also feeling a social responsibility for the working environment of delivery workers. It is pointed out that delivery workers, consumers, the government, and delivery companies must work together to create a healthy delivery service ecosystem.

Morning delivery services were introduced to meet the demands of consumers who want fast delivery, but they have been criticized for causing excessive working hours for delivery workers. The delivery industry must establish an efficient delivery system while also protecting the health and safety of workers.

The government should expand policy support for improving the working environment of delivery workers, and delivery companies should increase investments to improve the welfare of workers. In addition, consumers need to appreciate the efforts of delivery workers when using delivery services and adopt a considerate attitude, such as choosing reasonable delivery times.

The morning delivery restriction debate can be an important turning point for the sustainable development of delivery services. Finding a balance between improving the working environment for delivery workers and consumer convenience is not easy, but if all members of society work together, we can build a healthier and more developed delivery service system.