Gwarosa: Working to Death in South Korea | Foreign Correspondent

Since the start of the pandemic, 21 delivery workers in South Korea have died. Unions blame overwork. The Koreans even have a word for death by overwork: ’gwarosa’. We all rely on home deliveries to get us through the pandemic but do we ever spare a thought for the workers who bring them to us? As demand for home deliveries explodes, the pressure on warehouse sorters and drivers has become relentless. Lee Seong Wook, 44, is a delivery driver. He works six days a week from early in the morning until late at night. “I’d be lying if I said it isn’t tough for me. But it’s a matter of survival. My children won’t eat if I don’t earn.” Lee’s colleague, 47-year-old driver Im Gwang Soo, recently suffered a massive brain haemorrhage and fell into a coma. His life is hanging in the balance. Before his collapse, Im Gwang Soo had been working over 90 hours a week. As companies compete with each other to offer faster delivery times, distribution workers an