Conflict between Baedal Minjok (Baemin), South Korea’s leading food delivery platform, and its riders is brewing over a controversy over delivery and packaging fees.

The riders launched a collective action to refuse deliveries over the weekend, claiming that Baemin is using its market dominance to pass costs onto both riders and restaurant owners while reaping massive profits.

More than 100 related posts, including screenshots titled “Baemin App OFF,” were uploaded to the Rider Union café, a labor union for delivery app workers, on Monday.

This was part of a coordinated action over the weekend, one of the busiest times for orders, during which deliveries via Baemin were completely halted.

Participants uploaded screenshots showing zero deliveries and zero income on the app as proof of participation.

Some restaurant owners also joined the protest. While their interests do not always align with the riders regarding delivery fees, a shared understanding has formed that both riders and merchants are being harmed by the delivery app’s excessive control over delivery fees.

“Baemin recently merged its single-delivery service, which had a base fee of 3,000 won ($2.11), with its economy delivery service, reducing the base fee to 2,500 won,” a Rider Union official said. “The company also removed a previous system where additional fees were added based on distance, which would allow it to adjust fees arbitrarily as it sees fit.”

Baemin claims that “the average income of its Baemin Connect riders has increased since the overhaul of delivery fees in March 2025.”

Despite these growing tensions among delivery app platforms, riders, and small business owners, the government has yet to offer a clear solution.

“We are still checking the implementation status,” an official from the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said regarding the delivery app self-regulation plan announced in April 2024. “We can only consider further actions once the assessment is complete.”

The KFTC formed a voluntary regulation council that involved five delivery apps, including Baemin, Coupang Eats, Yogiyo, and small business groups in April 2024, and announced a mutual cooperation plan including efforts to promote takeout orders.

However, controversy over service fees is only intensifying as the voluntary regulation plan lacks binding force over foreign-owned platforms.

As domestic consumption continues to be sluggish, there are also concerns that the burden of these fees on small business owners will eventually be passed on to consumers.

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