Railway workers, police scuffle in Seoul

  • 11 years ago
South Korean railway workers scuffled with police in Seoul on Sunday (December 22) as they protested against a new rail unit they said was a move towards privatization, Seoul's Yonhap news agency said.

On December 9, over 6500 unionised rail workers went on strike against a government decision to set up a new subsidiary which they said could lead to privatization and result in mass layoffs, Seoul's Yonhap news agency reported.

South Korean Minister of Justice Hwang Kyo-ahn has said the strike is illegal and it would be dealt with firmly, local media said.

On Sunday, at least 800 rail workers held a strike in a union office in the capital, a union member said.

Police said about 5,000 police officers were sent to arrest union leaders of the state-run Korea Railroad (KORAIL) who had refused to turn up in court.

Around 600 police officers forced their way into a union office and took at least 130 workers into police custody for further questioning, Yonhap repo

Recommended