In October 2025, a man in his sixties who worked in production at SPC Samlip’s Sihwa factory was discovered dead at his residence after completing six consecutive night shifts. The worker’s death came just four months after a ruling confirmed that a dawn delivery driver who worked for Coupang had died as a result of overwork. Although the cases occurred in different industries both reveal that continuous night shifts, an increasingly common working condition, pose a serious threat to workers’ health.

The factory worker’s death adds to a series of worker fatalities that have occurred at SPC-affiliated plants in recent years, reigniting controversy over the companies’ shift system reforms.

After President Lee Jaemyung visited the Sihwa plant in July 2025 and raised concerns over long night shifts and low wages, SPC switched from its previous 12-hour two shift system to a three-team, three-shift system, reducing weekly working hours from 52 to 42. However, the change also altered the standard five day workweek to a six-day schedule, triggering fresh criticism from labor groups that argued the adjustment did little to genuinely ease the intense work demands at Sihwa.

Kwon Young-guk, leader of the Justice Party, criticized the SPC, saying, “Although Chairman Hur Youngin promised to pilot a four-team, three-shift system, by the time the industrial accident occurred, the promise had still not been fulfilled. The current three-team, three-shift system stops well short of what was promised.”

In response, SPC Samlip stated, “Overall working hours have been reduced, and the temporary six- day workweek is a transitional measure until additional staff are hired.” The company added that it plans to return to a five-day workweek once additional staff are recruited.

The Human Cost of Korea’s Fast Delivery Services

In July 2025, a delivery driver employed by a Coupang supplier, collapsed and died in his home bathroom. The Korea Workers’ Compensation & Welfare Service determined that the death was a result of overwork, recognizing a link between his workload and illness. Their investigation found that the delivery driver had worked an average of 61.5 hours per week in the 12 weeks leading up to his death, and that night work had significantly increased his work-related strain. In November 2025, another Coupang employee in Jeju died in an accident during a pre-dawn delivery. It was revealed he had worked 83.4 hours per week in the week leading up to his death. Logistics and early-morning delivery workers are routinely exposed to high-intensity labor stretching from late evening until dawn, compounded by constant deadline pressure and insufficient rest, mirroring the conditions seen at the SPC Samlip Sihwa plant.

Common Warning Signs: Why Work Cycles Matter More Than Hours Worked

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an agency of the World Health Organization (WHO), classifies night shift work as a Group 2A possible carcinogen. Disruption of biological rhythms and sleep disorders are known to increase the risk of heart attacks, stroke, and metabolic diseases.



Experts point out that in both the SPC samlip and Coupang cases, even if weekly working hours complied with legal standards, the shift patterns themselves increased health risks due to the consecutive nights on duty and uninterrupted rotations.

An occupational health expert explained, “The root of many workplace accidents in Korea lies more in the shift system and working patterns than in the number of hours worked,” adding, “Structural improvements are required to reduce night work and eliminate consecutive night shifts.”

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Somin Hong

hongsomin@seoultech.ac.kr

Sieun Jeon

cherryjeon06@seoultech.ac.kr

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