With the Korea Railway Workers' Union's general strike a day away, headways on metropolitan and regional commuter rail lines are expected to increase by more than 40 minutes.
On the 22nd, KORAIL said, "If the union strike materializes at 9 a.m. on the 23rd, it will be inevitable to cut commuter rail operations by about 25% compared with normal service." It explained that on some lines, headways could increase from 40 minutes to as long as 1 hour.
The strike will target commuter rail services operated by KORAIL across the board. In the greater Seoul area, Seoul Subway Lines 1, 3 and 4, the Suin-Bundang Line, the Gyeongui-Jungang Line and the Gyeonggang Line are included, and in the regions, the Daegyeong Line in the Daegu-North Gyeongsang area and the Donghae Line in the Busan-South Gyeongsang area will be affected by the strike.
The legally mandated minimum operation rate is 63%, but KORAIL plans to deploy internal replacement personnel and military personnel to raise the rate to around 75%. However, it said that on the Gyeonggang Line, Gyeongui-Jungang Line, Daegyeong Line and Donghae Line, headways could widen significantly outside rush hours.
Starting today, KORAIL is operating a 24-hour emergency response headquarters and strengthening crowd management in stations and safety inspections of facilities. A KORAIL official said, "Even if we mobilize all available personnel, inconvenience will be unavoidable," and asked, "During the morning commute, please travel earlier than usual or use alternative transportation."
The union plans to hold a general strike kickoff rally at Gwanghwamun in Seoul on the afternoon of the 23rd and begin an indefinite strike. The union said it would press ahead with the strike, saying the government has not fulfilled its promise to normalize performance-based bonuses.
The sticking point is the criteria for performance-based bonuses. The union argues that KORAIL should apply the same standard as other state-run companies, based on 100% of base pay. The Ministry of Economy and Finance is reportedly reviewing a 90% standard. The agenda item is scheduled to be discussed at the Public Institution Management Committee meeting on the 23rd. However, the possibility of additional negotiations between labor and management before the strike cannot be ruled out.
KORAIL's management also issued a statement the same day, urging a government decision, saying, "The issue of performance bonus criteria has continued for 15 years, undermining employee morale and management stability."