Park Ji-hyun, the former chairperson of the Democratic Party of Korea, shared her experience working a night part-time job at a Coupang logistics center.
On the 2nd, the former chairperson posted on her Facebook a piece titled 'Coupang experience' along with several photos. She wrote, "I worked for about 8 hours from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. and received 199,548 won," adding, "With additional pay, it was quite a nice amount."
The former chairperson noted, "I received countless comments on my social media (SNS) saying to get a part-time job," and explained, "Before entering politics, I did various part-time jobs at pharmacies, cafes, and restaurants."
She continued, "Due to the notorious reputation of the Coupang part-time job, I went there quite tense. At 11:55 p.m., I boarded the shuttle bus among sleepy people. At the logistics hub, which I arrived at around 12:40 a.m., there were various people gathered. The age range was diverse, and the male-female ratio was about half and half. There were even several people who seemed to be friendly already."
The former chairperson was in charge of sorting items. She explained, "Items kept pouring out onto the rails—snacks, detergents, rice, furniture boxes, and bottled water. For a customer who ordered four packs of six bottled waters at once, I briefly felt resentment. After letting out a sigh, I tightened my waist and legs and lifted it with a 'Uht-cha' to sort them according to the numbers."
She recalled, "After working for four and a half hours, I was given a sweet break. The 30 minutes passed like 3 minutes," adding, "The reality that I couldn't receive additional pay if I left early pressed down on the difficult moments."
She further shared, "I was fortunate to work with good people. Although I hardly had time to talk, the gentle touch of those who threw a refreshing water bottle to me in between, and the brief yet warm comment from a colleague advising, 'If you take Tylenol and sleep after today, you'll feel a bit better,' were moments filled with warmth."