Kakao Mobility has significantly expanded the target scope of its “Health Protection Support Project for Platform Workers” which has been running since July of last year. Starting in March of this year, not only drivers of ride-hailing services but also quick and walking delivery personnel will benefit from free health checkups.
Through collective negotiations with the National Taxi Workers Union and listening to on-site voices, Kakao Mobility carried out the “Free Health Checkup Support Project for Drivers” for a total of five months from July to November last year as part of its measures to support night workers. As a result, over 860 drivers completed health checkups, and approximately 400 received health-related consultations. Participation in health examinations by drivers increased by more than 15 times compared to the previous year, indicating that this initiative has contributed to improved access to health checkups.
In the past, platform workers had difficulty receiving health checkups and managing their health due to an information gap regarding national health support programs and the high costs relative to their incomes. Additionally, varied working locations and hours often led to inadequate health management.
In response, Kakao Mobility, continuing from last year, will participate again this year in the “Workplace Improvement Support Project for Platform Workers” organized by the Ministry of Employment and Labor in collaboration with the Occupational Safety and Health Agency. The program has expanded to include quick and walking delivery workers, who will also receive free health checkups, with Kakao Mobility covering 100% of the workers’ out-of-pocket expenses, corresponding to 20% of the health examination fees.
Health checkups will be conducted at designated hospitals in partnership with the Korea Industrial Health Association, the Korean Medical Research Institute, and the Korea Industrial Health Research Foundation. The examination items will include a “Job-Specific Health Checkup” focused on cardiovascular issues based on work characteristics, as well as specialized health assessments for drivers working at night to check for insomnia and other conditions. National general health examinations will also be available to those eligible.
Kakao Mobility aims to reduce the economic burden on platform workers by supporting their out-of-pocket expenses and simplifying the application process to enhance convenience.
Reservations can be made until November 30 through notices in the Kakao T driver app or the Picker app. After receiving final confirmation from the hospital, workers can proceed with the checkup according to their schedules. Additionally, to increase health checkup participation rates, a promotion will offer health-related products worth 20,000 won to the first 2,000 individuals who complete their health checkups.
Kakao Mobility envisions ongoing collaborative efforts with the Occupational Safety and Health Agency to improve the workplaces of platform workers. Plans are underway to implement additional worker protection initiatives for drivers, including veteran driver training within the second quarter of this year.
Yoo Geung-seon, CEO of Kakao Mobility, stated, “Following last year’s free health checkup support for drivers, I hope that expanding the initiative to include quick and walking delivery drivers will contribute significantly to the health protection and creation of a healthy workplace for all platform workers in the industry beyond Kakao T.” He also expressed the intention to continuously expand support programs for platform workers in welfare blind spots and strive for long-term coexistence and mutual growth.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr