SEOUL, October 14 (AJP) - Woowa Youths, the logistics arm of Woowa Brothers, operator of South Korea's largest food delivery platform Baemin, remains atop the corporate rank on industrial accident insurance claims, but admits the infamy with grace rather than excuse.
According to Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service data provided to Democratic Party lawmaker Park Hae-cheol, Woowa Youths filed 1,135 industrial accident claims as of August this year, with 1,071 approved—a 94 percent approval rate. While the numbers suggest the company has achieved top accident statistics for the fourth consecutive year, Woowa officials say the data tell a different story.
"There are around 480,000 to 500,000 active riders nationwide, which is far larger than the workforce of any single industry," a Woowa Youths official told AJP on Tuesday.
"Our rate of accidents per 1,000 riders has actually been dropping every year. What you’re seeing is a reflection of our scale and the fact that we don’t reject claims. We accept nearly every rider’s application."
In industries like construction or manufacturing, industrial accident claims are often met with resistance from employers who fear the financial or reputational fallout. Delivery riders, on the other hand, work as independent contractors and are free to file claims themselves, resulting in a naturally higher volume of applications.
Company figures show that the overall accident rate among riders has dropped by more than half, from 2.93 percent in 2022 to 1.38 percent in 2024. Woowa Youths attributes this steady decline to the Baemin Rider School, a safety education program the company has operated since 2018.
Originally located in Namyangju, a satellite city of Seoul, the school moved this year to a larger, purpose-built facility in Hanam City, east of the capital. Construction was completed in September, and the new site will begin full-scale operations in November. The training center offers real-world riding simulations and defensive driving courses for delivery workers. More than 20,000 riders have completed the program so far.
Woowa Brothers, which dominates South Korea's food delivery market with a 58.7 percent share as of May 2025, according to pollster IGAWorks' Mobile Index, was the first in the industry to voluntarily provide industrial accident insurance to riders starting in 2015, years before it became mandatory by law.
The company says its priority remains the safety and well-being of delivery workers, even as competition in the market intensifies. "We believe rider protection is not just a legal duty but a responsibility," the official said. "Education, safety investment, and fair compensation are what will make the delivery industry sustainable."
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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