'Go on a leave!' 20,000 delivery workers take 2-day break on 14th and 15th… Coupang declines to participate

On the scheduled "shipping rest" days of July 14-15, approximately 20,000 Korean delivery workers took a break, marking the start of a new nationwide initiative. This decision led to the suspension of short-term storage of perishable and frozen food products from July 13, with deliveries resuming from July 16. CJ CheilJedong, the company behind the initiative, informed all customers, distribution centers, and delivery personnel about this timeline in advance.

Unlike individual holidays, this is a collaborative industry-wide rest day. Introduced through government-labor negotiations in 2020, CJ CheilJedong has participated in seven consecutive years. The concept behind this is to allow delivery personnel to rest without work disruption and ensure a break without compromising service. A recent survey of 4,763 company delivery workers found that 92.3% expressed positive reactions towards the industry-wide rest day, with 37.2% specifically mentioning "stress relief and recovery."

Notably, the industry-wide rest is particularly important during the sweltering mid-August period, when the entire industry aims for recovery. Major companies such as CJ CheilJedong, Hanjin Taxis, and Lotte Global Logistics also observe this rest day. However, e-commerce giants like Coupang and Colle do not.