Korean Food Delivery Men and “Palli-Palli” Culture

After becoming an expat in November 2007, it took a while for me to get used to the sight of motor-scooter food delivery men blatantly disregarding traffic laws. They ride on sidewalks, they go the wrong way on one-way streets, they navigate between lanes of cars and buses and most of all, they ignore stop signs and red lights. Who could not be startled to observe them at major intersections—pausing and then zooming straight through or making left turns? Drivers of cars and buses patiently wait, but not time-pressed delivery men. (I use the male pronoun intentionally because if any women do this kind of work, I have not seen them.) They appear to be unconstrained by mundane matters like traffic laws, not to mention traffic etiquette. The behavior of these hellions on two wheels has only gotten worse in the last 12 ½ years. Most perplexing of all is that the police witness such constant traffic violations and blithely let them go.

I just had to learn more. Although I am not a great fan of McDonald’s, a friend and I recently called up and ordered two Big Macs, two orders of French fries and two Cokes. Assured that this tasty and nutritious meal would arrive in no more than 30 minutes, we sat in his office in Gangnam and waited. In fact, the buzzer rang a bit early. In came a young man named Noh Kyung-nam. He was wearing a padded uniform, boots, gloves and a helmet. Simultaneously with us paying him 13,000 won, we told him of our real purpose and sweetened the deal by offering an extra 20K. He agreed to give us a 15-minute interview about the life of a food delivery man in Seoul.

“I am 32 years old and unmarried,” Noh said. “I was a delivery man for various Chinese restaurants when I was in high school. I like my job, although I am not sure how much longer I will stay with it. My long-term plan is to save up enough money to open my own restaurant. Then, somebody else can make the deliveries.”

Noh does not actually work for McDonald’s. His employer is Barogo, a relative newcomer in the food delivery industry in Korea, one in which revenues exceed $16 billion per year. Koreans have become accustomed to ordering meals by phone, the Internet or smart-phone app. It’s convenient, and it’s fast—a very good thing in this country where “palli-palli” (hurry-hurry) is a way of life.

He informed us that his payment from Barogo and thus McDonald’s, KFC, Lotteria, Baskin-Robbins, Burger King and other fast-food eateries and restaurants depends on time. He receives a financial bonus for delivering quickly. In other words, there is a disincentive for him and his colleagues to go slow. This, naturally, helps explain why they brazenly ignore the traffic laws. Inching along during one of Seoul’s many traffic jams only costs them money.

During our brief interview, we told Noh that almost 100 food delivery drivers have been killed in the last decade, not to mention the hundreds who have been injured. I shudder to think of all the broken arms, legs and heads that have resulted from this rush to bring food to hungry Seoulites. He did not deny the dangers inherent in his job, merely stating that he drove as carefully as possible.

“What about when you zip through a red light at a busy intersection?” I asked him. “Aren’t you pushing the envelope when you do that?” Noh smiled and said it was part of the job.

I inquired about the police and their laissez-faire attitude. “Since a license plate is affixed to the back of your motor scooter and you have a driver’s license, it would seem that you are officially part of the city’s traffic system,” I said. “Do you concur?” He did, but noted that the police realize that he and the others have no choice but to hurry.

Noh then made a key point: “It’s not easy for them to catch us. They are in cars, and we are on scooters. We can weave through traffic easily and quickly. Even if they tried, they could not catch us. So they just let us go and hope we do not cause an accident.”

We bid the young man farewell, got into a taxi and drove to a nearby police station. After making clear that we were not criticizing them but merely in search of better understanding, I asked, “Why do you let these motor-scooter delivery guys ignore the traffic laws? Is it not dangerous to them, other drivers and pedestrians?”

A male officer said, “We agree that they are dangerous, but it is part of the culture of Korea where everything must be delivered quickly. Chasing after them would be even more dangerous.”

A female officer added, “The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency recently issued a directive saying that traffic regulations regarding motor-scooter delivery men should be enforced. But you have to realize that we can’t catch every single one.”