Won Hee-ryong Criticizes Railroad Union, Saying "No Real Justification for Privatization Strike"

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korail Railway Union Strike Response Situation Review Meeting

On the 17th, the fourth day of the nationwide railway labor union strike, Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, criticized, saying, "The railway union is using the pretext of opposing the illusory privatization that has no substance."

On the same day, at a strike response situation review meeting held at the Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) Seoul Headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Minister Won stated, "I question how much the public will accept a 'strike for the sake of striking' and what the government should respond regarding privatization that has never been reviewed."

The railway union launched a general strike on the 14th, demanding the suspension of railway privatization review, the introduction of the Suseo-bound KTX, the cessation of competition in high-speed rail operations, and the full implementation of the 4-shift 2-team system. The strike is scheduled to last until 9 a.m. on the 18th. Regarding these demands, Minister Won said, "These are not issues to be demanded through a strike," and added, "We need to consider what truly serves the nation and the people, and whether it can achieve the development of railway safety and management."

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong is announcing the results of the LH precast panel structure investigation at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 31st. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Minister Won also said, "Unilaterally enforcing demands will not only cause great inconvenience to the public but also isolate KORAIL further and expose it to public criticism," and urged, "Policy authorities should minimize public damage and refine their stance and efforts once again to ensure that railway safety is not compromised even slightly."

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that since the railway union is preparing for a second indefinite general strike, they plan to continue dialogue by meeting with the union side. Han Moon-hee, President of KORAIL, stated that the estimated damage caused by this strike is about 7.5 billion won. In particular, from the 14th to the 17th, the operation of logistics and freight trains decreased significantly from an average of 117 runs per day to 38 runs, and the transport volume dropped from an average of 60,000 tons per day to 20,000 tons.

Regarding the union's plan for a second general strike, President Han said, "The union is not a group that disregards the public's inconvenience, so we expect there will be no second strike before Chuseok," and promised, "We will work closely with the government and the union to ensure that no strike occurs before Chuseok."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.