The Korea Railway Workers' Union is set to launch an indefinite general strike starting at 9 a.m. on Thursday, the 11th.
Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) and the railway union held talks from 3 p.m. on the 10th at KORAIL headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, but the negotiations were halted after 30 minutes without finding common ground. The union has demanded that management normalize the criteria for performance-based bonuses, among other issues.
If the strike materializes, the train operation rate is expected to fall to 60%–70% of normal. KORAIL said the operation rates by train type would be ▲Seoul metropolitan subway Lines 1, 3, and 4 at 75.4% (more than 90% during morning rush hours) ▲KTX 66.9% ▲Saemaeul 59% ▲Mugunghwa 62%. Freight trains will focus on transporting urgent cargo such as export-import goods and essential industrial supplies, with operations maintained at 21.5% of normal.
KORAIL will shift to an emergency transportation posture starting today. Because rail is a "essential services" sector that cannot stop operating even during a strike, additional replacement personnel must be deployed alongside the essential workforce. The plan is to assign 62.6% of normal staffing to minimize service disruptions.
A KORAIL official said, "For tickets on trains scheduled to be suspended due to the strike, 'Service suspended' will be displayed on KORAIL Talk and the website, and fees will be waived for refunds or changes," and added, "During the strike, be sure to check whether your train is operating before traveling, and if you are in a hurry, please use other transportation such as buses."
However, there remains a possibility of a deal right before the strike begins. KORAIL said it will continue talks with the railway union until the strike.