{"id":2201523,"date":"2023-06-28T18:26:07","date_gmt":"2023-06-28T09:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2201523"},"modified":"2023-06-28T18:26:07","modified_gmt":"2023-06-28T09:26:07","slug":"fast-food-slow-progress-how-south-korean-labor-laws-fail-delivery-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/06\/fast-food-slow-progress-how-south-korean-labor-laws-fail-delivery-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"Fast food, slow progress: How South Korean labor laws fail delivery workers"},"content":{"rendered":"
Every day in South Korea, drivers on mopeds zip past pedestrians and weave between cars in a race to deliver fried chicken, spicy rice cakes and an assortment of other foods to customers in cities big and small. And like in other countries, the app-based industry grew rapidly in the ROK during the pandemic, with the number of drivers doubling since 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n But with the flourishing of the industry has come concerns about labor protections for the hundreds of thousands of delivery drivers now working in the industry. South Korean law classifies them as \u201cnon-standard workers\u201d or \u201cspecial employment status workers,\u201d leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and preventing them from receiving benefits like minimum wage and severance pay.<\/span><\/p>\n While global trends are shifting toward the protection of app-based workers, South Korea appears to be lagging behind. And experts say the change brought on by digitalization and platform-based services requires a reexamination of existing labor laws.<\/span><\/p>\n LEGAL BARRIER<\/b><\/p>\n There are <\/span>increasing calls<\/span><\/a> in South Korea among non-salaried app-based food delivery riders to either raise delivery fees or permit them to be eligible for the minimum wage. This growing discontent among workers in the rapidly evolving gig economy comes amid a significant shift in labor structures, notably within Korean app-based delivery platforms.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe reality is that we have no legal recourse to protest our delivery fees, even if they\u2019ve been reduced or remained stagnant for a decade,\u201d Woo Lam, an advocate for the rights of these platform workers, told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>. \u201cThere are simply no established standards for delivery fees.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe are advocating for the introduction of a minimum wage system for platform workers in South Korea, akin to the one recently established in New York City,\u201d added Woo, who serves as the policy director of Rider Union.<\/span><\/p>\n New York City moved to <\/span>implement<\/span><\/a> a higher minimum wage for app-based workers starting July 12, raising their hourly wage from $11 to $17.96.<\/span><\/p>\n However, it would be challenging for many South Korean food delivery workers to see the kind of change they advocate. As it stands, app-based and non-salaried delivery workers are <\/span>not legally mandated<\/span><\/a> to receive the minimum wage since the law classifies third-party delivery agents as self-employed workers.<\/span><\/p>\n