"Take Off Helmet and Write Your Name": Where Are the Apartments Avoided by Delivery Riders?

"Take off your helmet and write down your personal information."

This was what a management staff member at an apartment complex in Busan recently demanded of a food delivery worker, A.

When A refused, arguing it was unauthorized collection of personal information, the staff member denied entry to the apartment complex and even refused to allow contact via the intercom.

A went outside the building, called the customer to ask them to contact the delivery platform company, and left the food at the 1st-floor desk where the management staff member was stationed.

However, the next day, A received a notice from the delivery platform company stating that the responsibility for the order lay with the delivery worker.

Only after A explained the previous day's events—asking if delivery workers' personal information and human rights deserved protection as well—was the decision to deduct the delivery fee canceled.

As this incident became known, the controversy over so-called "Cheonryongin apartments," which impose unfair demands on delivery workers, has reignited.

The "Cheonryongin Apartment Map," shared by delivery workers through online communities and social media, marks around 50 high-end apartment complexes nationwide, including the Gangnam area in Seoul.

"Cheonryongin apartment" is a term derived from the "Tenryubito" (Celestial Dragons), a privileged class in the popular manga "One Piece," used to mock certain apartment complexes that demand excessive entry procedures from delivery workers or force them to use freight elevators or move on foot.

The controversy recently surfaced when a video showing delivery worker A being asked to take off a helmet and fill out personal information during the apartment entry process was released on a YouTube channel and other platforms.

Once the incident in the video became known, numerous critical comments targeting the apartment side flooded social media and online communities, such as "They are treating them like potential criminals," "Security guards should just make the deliveries themselves," and "If the apartment has no legal basis to collect delivery workers' personal information, it is only right for residents to come down to the lobby to pick it up."

Delivery workers said that some apartments have long required them to use different routes from residents or to use only freight elevators.

It is also known that some places restrict motorcycles from entering the complex, requiring workers to park at the main gate and walk, while others demand ID checks, logbook entries, or the handover of motorcycle keys during the entry process.

B, a delivery worker in their 40s, said that once you make a delivery to a Cheonryongin apartment, you understand the unreasonableness firsthand.

"You have to walk a long way from the entrance of the complex to the building, take off your helmet, hand over your belongings, and use a freight elevator instead of a regular one," B complained, adding, "We cannot even make minimum wage, and it feels like being treated like a slave."

C, a 26-year-old who worked as a delivery worker in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, said, "Some apartments even control vehicle entry," adding, "There is a reason why workers avoid certain places."

While some hold the view that "can't you just refuse the delivery?", the reality is different.

Those with lower ratings based on acceptance rates and performance are unable to receive priority assignments for well-paying order calls.

Rider Union, a labor union for delivery workers, filed a related petition with the National Human Rights Commission in Korea in 2021, but pointed out that structural issues have not significantly improved since then.

Koo Gyo-hyun, head of the Rider Union branch, argued, "When apartments demand personal information or contact numbers, it is not easy for individual riders to respond," and emphasized, "Platform companies should play a role, such as providing advance guidance on the apartment's entry procedures or actively arbitrating when disputes arise."

The apartments in question cite resident protection and security as reasons.

An official from an apartment complex in Seocho-gu, Seoul, stated, "There are some controls for the safety of residents," adding, "Just as anyone cannot be let in, restrictions apply to delivery workers as well."

However, experts pointed out that while it is a legitimate authority for apartment management entities to control visitor access for security, forcing discriminatory entry procedures or demanding more personal information than necessary simply because of a specific occupation can constitute human rights violations and legal breaches.

Ha Hee-bong, managing attorney at Lawfid Law Firm, said, "Unlike visually checking an ID card, making copies or recording resident registration numbers has a high potential of being illegal," adding, "If the structure is such that delivery itself becomes impossible upon refusal, it cannot be regarded as consent given of free will, even if written consent was obtained."

Kim Sung-hee, a professor at Korea University Graduate School of Labor Studies, said, "Fundamentally, this happens because respect for delivery platform labor is weak," adding, "Refusing to comply with excessive demands is a natural response based on the autonomous judgment of the riders."

Professor Kim emphasized that platform companies should not disadvantage delivery workers who respond to excessive demands, stating, "Efforts such as active arbitration when conflicts arise with certain apartment residents are necessary."

In response, an official from Woowa Brothers, the delivery platform company, stated, "When riders face unfair situations in the field, we operate programs ranging from legal and psychological counseling support to industrial accident insurance guidance," and added, "We will continue monitoring and providing support to ensure they do not face unfair treatment."

(Photo = Captured and edited from Naver Map, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.