Coupang will suspend its daytime Rocket Delivery service on June 3rd, 2025, the day of South Korea’s presidential election to ensure that over 20,000 delivery workers have time to vote, the company announced on Thursday. This marks the first-ever suspension of Rocket Delivery since the service launched in 2014.

Orders placed for dawn delivery before the election will be fulfilled by the morning of June 3rd, with delivery for orders that come in afterward to begin on June 4th. The temporary halt applies to Rocket Delivery’s 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. window.

Coupang Logistics Service (CLS), the company’s delivery arm, informed partner delivery agencies via email that they would not receive packages for delivery on June 3rd in line with requests from labor and civil groups.

Coupang’s move follows similar decisions by other major logistics providers - CJ Logistics, Hanjin, Lotte Global Logistics, Logen, and Korea Post - who all committed to halting deliveries that day to protect workers’ voting rights.

Directly employed delivery workers, or “Coupang Friends,” will receive paid leave on election day while contractors at partner agencies will not be assigned delivery volumes. Personnel at Coupang’s logistics hubs, such as CLS-run delivery camps, will also be off duty during the day shift.

Although full-day delivery will pause, some customers could still receive their packages on the evening of June 3rd depending on the region. Items ordered for dawn delivery (Rocket Fresh or Wow Delivery) will be delivered by the morning of June 3rd, although increased demand may cause delays.

Coupang plans to notify customers in advance via its mobile app. The National Delivery Workers Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) praised the move as “a historic step toward safeguarding voting rights in the logistics industry” and called for further reforms to prevent overwork as well as guarantee fairness for the night shift and next-day staff.

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