With the ninth nationwide local elections set for Jun. 3, the parcel delivery industry held a meeting to decide whether to take a delivery day off, but it broke down, drawing attention to whether deliveries will run as usual on election day. CJ Logistics preemptively announced it would take the day off from parcel operations on election day, but other companies are taking aim, calling it a "showy day off."
According to the parcel delivery industry on the 18th, major parcel carriers including CJ Logistics, Hanjin Parcel, Lotte Global Logistics, Coupang Logistics Service (CLS), and Logen Co. held a meeting on the 14th, organized by the Korea Integrated Logistics Association, to discuss operating measures for pickup and delivery services on the Jun. 3 nationwide local election day.
The meeting was convened to compile each company's views on implementing a parcel day off and to discuss matters such as logistics center operations and the scope and hours of couriers' rest. The association had planned to issue a joint announcement if the companies reached a consensus.
The parcel day off was first implemented ahead of Liberation Day in 2020 as a designated nonworking day for delivery services, arranged through consultations among the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), political circles, and parcel companies. It is intended to guarantee delivery workers' right to rest. It is not legally binding, but it has continued as a customary practice. The industry also implemented it by agreement during the last presidential election.
However, the meeting reportedly broke down due to CJ Logistics' preemptive announcement of a parcel day off. On the morning of the meeting, CJ Logistics said it would designate election day as a parcel day off and suspend next-day delivery services. Early-morning and same-day delivery services will operate as normal.
Hanjin Parcel, Lotte Global Logistics, Coupang Logistics Service, and Logen Co. have yet to set their operating policies. Discontent reportedly followed over CJ Logistics' announcement during the meeting. One official said, "CJ Logistics' unilateral announcement has increased the burden on other companies to shut down."
After the meeting fell apart, parcel companies decided to make their own calls on whether to close. An official who attended the meeting said, "It's difficult to compile views and make a joint announcement," adding, "Since each company will decide based on its circumstances, the meeting is unlikely to reconvene."
According to the National Logistics Integrated Information Center, the total parcel volume last year was 6.41 billion items. If all major parcel companies close for a day, 17.56 million parcels would be halted. Because closures also entail losses, parcel companies have no choice but to be cautious about deciding to shut down.
Moreover, companies such as Hanjin Parcel, Lotte Global Logistics, and Logen Co. either do not run early-morning and next-day deliveries like CJ Logistics or operate them on a small scale, so the impact of a closure could be significant. For these reasons, the industry views the implementation of a parcel day off as something to approach with greater caution.
This has led to projections that it is uncertain whether a parcel day off will spread across the industry. An industry official said, "Each company will make its own judgment, but because business models and circumstances differ by company, a blanket decision to close will be difficult."
Although CJ Logistics announced a parcel day off, some criticize it as "for show," since early-morning and same-day deliveries will run as normal. CJ Logistics explained that early-morning and same-day deliveries are carried out through contracts with cargo truck drivers who hold commercial license plates ("A, B, S, or J" plates known as yongdal), so it cannot force them to close.