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Soaring Oil Prices: Daejeon Exceeds ₩2,000, 'Direct Hit' to Freight and Delivery Drivers
Soaring Oil Prices: 'Direct Hit' to Freight and Delivery Industries
As Middle East tensions drive up domestic oil prices, gas stations in the Daejeon area are increasingly seeing gasoline and diesel prices surpass ₩2,000 per liter. This surge has delivered a direct blow to the livelihoods of truck drivers and delivery workers, who are highly sensitive to fuel costs.
Kim Kyung-seon, a 25-ton trailer driver, lamented that his monthly fuel expenses now exceed ₩8 million, representing an additional ₩1.5 million to ₩2 million in spending and effectively a cut in real wages. With fuel costs making up over 10 percentage points more of his expenses, he now relies on loans to get by. Ma Young-hyuk, a delivery worker, also reported a noticeable decrease in income, exacerbated by the combination of increased fuel costs and the off-season for deliveries in March and April.
Urgent Need for Measures to Support Livelihood Drivers
Even ordinary citizens are now traveling further afield to find cheaper gas stations, highlighting the growing burden of rising oil prices. Song Geum-hyang, a resident of Sejong City, stated that she drives to Daejeon to refuel due to price concerns. As international oil prices continue to climb and fears of prolonged instability in the Middle East grow, there is an urgent call for the government to implement measures to support livelihood drivers.
*Source: YouTube: KBS News (2026-03-11)*
