Heatwave puts Korea’s gig workers at growing risk

Park, 52, a veteran delivery worker who has been riding motorcycles for over three decades, said, “When I stop at red lights, the heat from the asphalt and nearby cars makes me feel dizzy.”

Despite layering on cooling pads, sleeves, vests and portable fans, the summer heat remains unbearable. “The seat burns, sweat drips inside my helmet, sometimes I feel nauseous,” he said. “But most of us can’t afford to take breaks.”

With heat alerts issued across 95 percent of the country and temperatures soaring as high as 35 degrees Celsius, Korea’s summer is arriving earlier and lasting longer.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the average number of heatwave and tropical night days in the 2010s increased 1.7 and 2.1 times, respectively, compared to the 1970s.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 454 heat-related illnesses between May 20 and June 30, a 19 percent increase from the same period last year.

Gig workers left behind

Delivery drivers, couriers and substitute drivers are bearing the brunt of the heatwave.

Although the Ministry of Employment and Labor promotes five key heat safety measures — water, shade, regular breaks, coolers and emergency response — these guidelines apply only to registered worksites exceeding a perceived temperature of 31 degrees Celsius. Platform and gig workers, who mainly labor outdoors and move from location to location, are excluded.

Im, 39, a courier with nine years of experience, said, “After loading packages in the morning, I start deliveries around noon and finish at 9 or 10 p.m. I don’t even have time for lunch, let alone a break.”

Night workers like substitute drivers also struggle, especially during tropical nights. Yang, 56, said, “We wait in ATM booths or subway stations, but after midnight they’re off-limits. I can’t leave busy areas to find shelters because I’d miss calls.”

Some users on driver community forums write that summer is worse than winter, with sweat and body odor making them self-conscious in front of customers.

Even non-platform workers face similar struggles. Kim, 58, a city gas meter reader, said she was hospitalized for IV treatments three times during last year’s heatwave.

“This year’s heat came even earlier,” she said. “Last year, we were at least allowed to switch to less strenuous duties for a month. This year, there’s been no word, so I’ve started working at dawn.”

Experts call for urgent action

Experts say worsening climate conditions and prolonged heat waves demand urgent systemic responses.

“Delivery workers exposed to road radiation endure temperatures far above official forecasts,” said Ryu Hyun-chul, an occupational health expert at the Korean Society for Environmental Health. “Because stopping work can mean losing your livelihood, we need measures like climate unemployment benefits to protect their right to health.”

Jung Jin-woo, a safety engineering professor at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, said, “Each occupation needs customized heat countermeasures. At the same time, heat-related deaths should be recognized as work-related fatalities to strengthen accountability at the job site.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.