On the 4th, a day before the nationwide railway labor union’s announced general strike, a notice regarding train operation adjustments was posted at Seoul Station. The Railway Union has stated that if the main negotiation scheduled for 4 PM that day fails to reach an agreement, they will proceed with a general strike initiation ceremony on the 5th and commence the strike.
With the nationwide railway labor union (Railway Union) announcing an indefinite general strike starting from the 5th, the Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) has initiated an emergency transportation system. During the strike, metropolitan subways and high-speed trains (KTX) are expected to operate at only 70% of the usual capacity, forecasting congestion during commuting hours.
KORAIL announced on the 4th that to prepare for the railway union strike, they are operating a 24-hour emergency response headquarters and mobilizing all available resources to minimize inconvenience to passengers. During peak commuting hours, additional resources will be mobilized for metropolitan subways and KTX to secure as many train services as possible. During the strike announcement period, the operational rates compared to normal times are 75% for metropolitan subways (over 90% during morning commuting hours), 67% for high-speed trains, 58% for Saemaeul trains, and 62% for Mugunghwa trains. Freight trains will mainly transport urgent freight, such as import-export items and essential industrial goods, and will operate at 22% of the usual rate.
During the strike, the deployed personnel will include 10,348 essential maintenance staff and 4,513 substitute personnel, totaling 14,861, which is 60.2% of the usual capacity. KORAIL stated, “The substitute personnel, such as engineers, are experienced professionals capable of operating trains and handling emergencies.”
KORAIL has been notifying passengers who booked tickets on trains whose services have been stopped due to the strike through individual text messages and notifications via KORAIL Talk since 6 PM on the 3rd. During this period, when tickets are returned or changed, all penalty fees will be waived. Tickets for trains with halted operations will be fully refunded automatically without needing a separate return request.
A KORAIL official advised, “During the strike period, please confirm whether trains are operating before using them,” and appealed, “Busy passengers should use alternative transportation such as buses or airplanes.”
The Railway Union plans to hold initiation ceremonies at five locations nationwide, including Seoul Station and Busan Station, on the 5th and begin the general strike. The union is demanding a 2.5% increase in basic salary and regular payment of performance bonuses. Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Minister Park Sang-woo also chaired a meeting to review transportation measures in response to the rail strike with related agencies on the afternoon of the same day and urged, “We ask that KORAIL management and labor negotiate responsibly and draw an agreement to the end,” but reaching a settlement appears challenging. For an agreement between labor and management to be reached, approval from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the budget authority, is needed, but with the aftermath of martial law compounded, resolving the situation immediately is difficult.