People cross a street as snow falls in Seoul on Dec. 15. Korea Times file

By Kim Jae-heun

A 31-year-old delivery worker surnamed Kang made more than 300,000 won ($232) in just seven hours delivering food last weekend, when temperatures dropped to minus 15 degrees Celsius, while many other drivers decided to stay home.

"I was paid three to four times more than usual as restaurants fell short of delivery workers in such cold weather. It was also snowing a lot, so the roads were very slippery and I had to take risks, but Coupang paid me well," he said.

Another delivery driver surnamed Lee said he made nearly 500,000 in one day last weekend.

"Riders are paid double or three times more on days when there is heavy rain or snowfall, because it's dangerous to deliver food on scooters. There are people like me who take advantage of that to make big money," Lee said.

Snowy and icy roads are dangerous not only for pedestrians, but also for delivery drivers who ride on scooters to deliver food. This makes online food orders soar, while the number of delivery workers plunge, causing delivery fees to skyrocket temporarily.

A delivery driver waits for a traffic light to turn green on a road in Seoul, on Feb. 4, 2021. Yonhap

Currently, the delivery fee for online food orders with Baedal Minjok or Coupang ranges between 4,000 won and 5,000 won on average. However, when the weather is bad, food delivery firms double and triple the fee to keep delivery drivers working.

Naturally, there are concerns being raised over the safety of delivery drivers working in such bad weather conditions.

"Delivery drivers have to be extra cautious delivering food on snowy days, especially on hills. Scooters won't stop even if we apply the brakes going downhill. It is better to deliver food with a car or take a rest when it's raining or snowing outside," Kang said.

A local delivery firm said employers do their best to provide a safe working environment for delivery drivers, but they cannot stop them from working for extra money.

"They have the freedom to work and we have no right to stop them from doing that. We pay extra attention to their safety by encouraging them to take safer routes and wear helmets while driving slowly," said an official at a local delivery platform operator.