Rail workers threaten indefinite strike from Dec. 10

The union representing workers at Korea Railroad Corp., known as KORAIL, has announced plans for an indefinite general strike to begin on December 10 at 9 a.m. The strike is being called for by the Korean Railway Workers' Union, which will make its demands known during a news conference at Seoul Station. The union has warned that the strike will continue until its demands are met.

The union's main concerns include an unfair promotion system that allegedly excludes field workers and a lack of safety personnel, which they argue is compromising the safety of railway operations. In addition to the strike, the union has scheduled a large-scale rally at Seoul Station on Saturday. This will be followed by a two-week campaign focused on ensuring safe operations and a series of nighttime rallies starting from November 23.

The potential impact of this strike is significant, as it could disrupt KTX high-speed trains, conventional train services, and subway services throughout South Korea. The severity of the disruption is expected to surpass previous strikes following the integration of the high-speed rail operator, SR Co., into KORAIL in September.