One of the aspects that Koreans emphasize as a reason Korea is a nice country to live in, is its highly developed service industry. As of the parcel service, the ‘same-day delivery’ is now almost a requirement to avoid falling behind other competitors. However, the workers toiling behind the curtain must not be forgotten.
On Oct. 29, a parcel laborer working in the distribution center in Daejeon, Korea, was in the middle of unloading parcels off the trucks when he was killed by a trailer going backward. On Nov. 21, the Parcel Solidary Union declared its general strike against CJ Korea Express, asking for a countermeasure to the recent death of a parcel laborer and the acknowledgement of the labor union. The general strike consisted of 700 to 800 union parcel workers who claimed that CJ Korea Express holds the key to stop this crisis. 
On Nov. 20, Kim Tae-wan, the head of the Parcel Solidary Union, made an appearance on a KBS1 TV show, Tonight Kim Jedong, and discussed the harsh working environment of parcel workers. According to Kim, “parcel workers toil for as long as 13 hours a day and do not even get paid for the seven hours when they categorize the parcels.” 
The general strike had a profound effect on the society. Since customers could not get their packages delivered to their doorsteps, they had to visit the depository to receive their packages themselves. In Ulsan alone, packages equivalent to more than hundred 1-ton trailers were stagnant.
The participants in the strike totaled only four percent of the CJ Korea Express’s parcel workers. However, they were just enough to show the influence of the laborers and to put the harsh working conditions and treatments of laborers into the spotlight.
The general strike culminated on Nov. 28 when the Parcel Solidary Union withdrew. However, the workers that participated in the strike are unable to work because CJ Korea Express did not revoke the ‘no shipment acceptance in the strike zone’ measure. The Parcel Solidary Union sees such action as CJ Korea Express’s threat against the union.