S. Korean Ports Paralyzed as Truckers on Strike

Trucks are parked at the truck terminal in Seoul June 9, 2008. South Korean truckers voted on Monday to strike over high oil prices.

(Xinhua 2008-06-12 15:04:12)Many South Korean ports were paralyzed Thursday, blocked by truckers who vowed to strike Friday in protest at the rising cost of fuel that has wiped out their profit margins, reported Yonhap news agency.

Strikes in Busan, South Korea's largest port city, saw 83 percent of all containers in the city's seven ports locked down. Busan handles 76 percent of the entire nation's shipping.

Members of the Korea Cargo Transport Workers Union agreed earlier this week to take to the streets Friday in dozens of port cities, complaining that the government's latest policy package to deal with record-breaking crude oil prices failed to address their economic difficulties.

Last Sunday, the government announced that it will spend over 10 trillion won (9.77 billion U.S. dollars) over the next year as part of a comprehensivepolicy package meant to help citizens deal with record-breaking crude oil prices.

The truck drivers are urging the government to lower diesel fuel costs, raise fees for hauling freight to reflect market conditions and introduce a standardized pricing system for truckers that can ensure minimum wages for services rendered.

The 13,000 members of the union account for only three to four percent of all commercial vehicle drivers, but many of the union's members drive large container-hauling trucks, and their strike could seriously affect the country's ability to haul freight by road.

South Korea's worst-ever truckers strike in May 2003, lasting two weeks; cost the nation losses of 540 million U.S. dollars.