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Deliveries to halt on Election Day as firms give workers the day off

Published: 24 May. 2025, 13:32 Updated: 24 May. 2025, 14:56

LEE TAE-HEE
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Members of the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and the Delivery Workers’ Union hold signs and banners at the Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on May 21, urging delivery companies to let their delivery workers take a day off for the presidential election on June 3. [NEWS1]

Many deliveries will come to a halt on the day of the presidential election to let workers vote, with Coupang delivery workers, who weren't given a day off for the previous election, also joining in this time.

Major delivery firms such as CJ Logistics, Hanjin Transportation and Lotte Global Logistics will designate June 3 a holiday for their workers, according to the delivery companies on Friday.

Coupang will also allow its daytime delivery workers to take the day off, with its same- or next-day Rocket Delivery service to face a partial disruption for the first time.

Ahead of the decision, the Delivery Workers’ Union urged companies to allow their employees to take the day off on Election Day.

"Because of Coupang, other delivery companies also began seven-day-a-week delivery services, and now many are designating June 3 a working day to avoid falling behind the competition," read the union's statement issued before the companies declared the holiday.

With many delivery companies, including Coupang, deciding to pause operations on Election Day, the union released a statement on Saturday welcoming the decisions.

"What stands out most about this decision is that Coupang will be granting a day off for the first time since its founding," read the statement. "This marks a symbolic turning point — not only in the fight to secure the voting rights of delivery workers, but also in efforts to improve Coupang’s notoriously harsh working conditions."

During the previous presidential election on March 9, 2022, companies such as CJ Logistics, Lotte Global Logistics, Hanjin Transportation, Logen and Korea Post all gave workers the day off. Coupang was the only major company that continued operations.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY HYEON YE-SEUL, LEE TAE-HEE [[email protected]]