Land ministry launches nationwide probe into unfair courier contracts

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Wednesday it has launched on-site investigations into the courier industry nationwide and plans to take strict action if any labor law violations are found.

The ministry said it was acting to protect the rights of courier workers and establish fair market order after reports emerged that some courier branch offices had been drawing up agreements explicitly requiring consecutive work without rest days — practices that undermine the intent of standard contract requirements.

Earlier, in June, the ministry made it mandatory for courier service consignment contracts to use a standard contract form, or one based on it, to strengthen protections for courier workers and ensure fair market conditions. The contracts must include details such as the designated delivery zone, the consignment period and the scope of duties.

Despite this, the ministry said it has identified cases in which operators formally satisfy the requirements of the standard contract while circumventing its intent — by inserting unfair clauses through separate agreements or engineering prolonged consecutive work schedules through indirect means. The ministry said it had received field reports of suspected irregular contracting practices at courier branch offices in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province.

Shim Ji-young, the ministry's logistics policy director, said the ministry was closely examining operational practices that risk undermining the purpose of the mandatory standard contract system as it takes hold in the field. "We will use this nationwide inspection as an opportunity to firmly correct cases of non-compliance on the ground, and will continue to refine the system — through consultation with stakeholders — to root out irregular practices at the source," she said.