The labor unions of Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) and Seoul Metro have announced a general strike for the 11th and 12th. There are concerns that year-end train and Seoul subway service could be paralyzed.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) Public Transport Workers' Union National Railway Workers' Union (Railway Union) held a press conference on the east plaza of Seoul Station on the 2nd and said, "If our key demands are not met in the wage negotiations, we will launch a general strike on the 11th."

Chairperson Kang Cheol of the National Railway Workers' Union and union members hold a press conference at Seoul Station Plaza on Hangang-daero in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 2nd to announce a general strike by the railway union. The union, which sets December 11 as D-Day for the general strike, demands the normalization of performance-based pay, the integration of KTX-SRT high-speed rail, and safety measures. /Courtesy of News1

Earlier, the Railway Union demanded in the wage negotiations: ▲ normalization of performance-based pay ▲ integration of high-speed rail ▲ establishment of effective safety measures. They take the position that the current wage system, which uses "80% of base pay" as the standard for performance pay, should be normalized.

Railway Union Chairperson Kang Cheol said, "If even our final demand is ignored, there is only one option left," adding, "Starting at 9 a.m. on the 11th, we will launch an indefinite general strike that will stop trains nationwide."

Members of the Line 9 labor union at Seoul Metro chant slogans condemning the failure to implement the agreement on safety staffing during a press conference in front of Seoul City Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 2nd to announce a general strike. The union states at the site, "We can no longer stand by as the Seoul Metropolitan Government fails to carry out even a basic agreement to hire staff for safety," and says it will begin a work-to-rule on the 3rd and launch a general strike on the 11th. /Courtesy of News1

The Seoul subway has also given notice of a strike. Following the announcement by Seoul Metro's 1st and 3rd unions, which operate Lines 1–8, that they will stage a general strike on the 12th, the 2nd union also notified its members that it will join a general strike the same day. The Seoul Metro Line 9 Branch of the Public Transport Workers' Union, which operates Sections 2 and 3 of Line 9 (Eonju Station–Veterans Hospital Station), also held a press conference in front of Seoul City Hall that day and said, "If the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Metro do not implement the agreement on increasing staffing, we will respond with a general strike starting on the 11th."

The metro union has opposed management's workforce cuts and restructuring. They have also failed to narrow differences over wage increases and, with members' approval, have secured the right to strike. The 1st and 3rd unions already began "work-to-rule" on the 1st by opening and closing subway doors slowly or keeping trains at platforms longer. The Line 9 branch also said it will begin work-to-rule on the 3rd by keeping train headways and refusing tasks outside the rules.

If the strike materializes, disruptions to year-end train and subway operations appear inevitable. Previously, when the Railway Union staged a general strike for the first time in 15 months last year, passengers experienced various inconveniences for a week. In the case of Seoul Metro, it held a two-day warning strike on Nov. 9–10, 2023.

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