Death from Overwork in a Time of Pandemic
How Delivery Work Became a Locus of Public Debate in South Korea
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3985298 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yuki Asahina (0000-0003-1848-0754, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, corresponding author), Jaeseog Yang (Waseda University) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 608-625 |
| Publication date | 2023-08-08 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Contemporary Asia (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0047-2336 • E-ISSN: 1752-7554 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00472336.2022.2092885 |
| OpenAlex | W4285799321 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 35 |
During the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, the plight of delivery workers suddenly became a locus of public debate. On the surface, this seems puzzling. Although the severely exploitative working conditions of delivery workers have been endemic for decades, these conditions had never before caused a society-wide controversy. Drawing insights from Jeffrey Alexander's theory of societalisation, this article examines how the global health crisis not only worsened working conditions but also provided opportunities for workers and labour unions to problematise previously neglected aspects of labour exploitation. The analysis identifies three different states of the issue: (i) the disregard for ill-treatment of delivery workers, (ii) the emergence of shocking narratives, and (iii) attempts to regulate the practices of contract-based labour
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Criminology · Development economics · Disease · Economic growth · Economics · Labour economics · Narrative · Overwork · Pandemic · Political economy · Political science · Sociology · Work (physics · Digital Economy and Work Transformation · Employment and Welfare Studies · Labor Movements and Unions · Medicine
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| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |