Water spider
Korea | Film 80min, TV 60min | 4K | Color
Logline
A 'water spider', responsible for seamless workflow in a fulfillment center, collapsed and stopped forever. To uncover why, his mother navigates the hidden web of a giant platform corporation. Her slow, relentless pursuit unravels the truth behind the algorithm.
Synopsis
What appears to be a state-of-the-art logistics system is actually powered by a 'water spider'—a human worker who endlessly moves to keep the workflow seamless. In October 2020, 27-year-old 'water spider' Jang Deokjun stopped forever. The company denies excessive workload, but his mother, Park Misuk, begins reconstructing his final 16 months. By counting his footsteps in CCTV footage, she traces the complex web he was trapped in. Her relentless six-year pursuit slowly unravels the hidden truths of a giant platform corporation, exposing the human cost behind our magical deliveries.
Director's Statement
‘While our world grows faster and more convenient, what are we ultimately losing?’
A magical service delivers packages by morning with just three clicks before bed. Yet the glamour fades when we picture those running endlessly while we sleep. Park Misuk, who once ran a small woodworking shop—not a labor activist or journalist—revealed this uncomfortable truth. Following her son's death, she transformed herself into an expert on platform labor. This film chronicles a mother's relentless fight to build a safer workplace.
Director PARK Haein
Journalist and documentary director at MBC. She won the PD of the Month Award for Underworld: The depths of our waste (2025), an episode tracking the unseen workers who process the city's waste.
Producer KIM Jaeyeong
He is currently the head of the documentary team at MBC. Since joining as a producer in 2001, he has won the Korea Broadcasting Award, the ABU Prize, and the Korea PD Award for producing documentaries and talk shows.