Increasing Physical Clashes... 17 Members of the Cargo Solidarity Union Arrested Across the Country

15 Union Members Disrupting Work Detained at HiteJinro Icheon Plant
Union Members Arrested in Busan and Gwangju
Clashes Occur on First Day of Strike... Police Officer Pushed

On the 7th, a kickoff rally for the general strike was held near the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Uiwang-si, Gyeonggi Province, as the Cargo Solidarity Union launched a general strike demanding the abolition of the sunset clause on safe freight rates and an increase in transportation fees due to high oil prices. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] Physical clashes are increasing as the nationwide general strike by the Cargo Solidarity of the Public Transport Workers' Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions enters its second day.

According to the police on the 8th, around 8:30 a.m., 15 Cargo Solidarity union members were arrested on the spot at the Hite Jinro Icheon plant. Among about 70 Cargo Solidarity union members, those who obstructed work by blocking the front of the factory despite police intervention were reportedly arrested at the scene.

On the 2nd, a union member was also detained by police at the Hite Jinro Icheon plant. At that time, one union member was arrested on the spot on charges of assaulting police officers by grabbing and throwing down a police officer who was on duty. About 130 truck owners belonging to Suyang Logistics, the subcontracted freight transport company for the Hite Jinro Icheon and Cheongju plants, have been on strike since joining the Cargo Solidarity in March.

In Busan, two union members were arrested after blocking two trailers passing through the Shin-hang Samgeori picket site in Gangseo-gu, Busan, while throwing water bottles and eggs. In Gwangju, a union member was caught while obstructing the entry and exit of non-union trucks at the Hanam Industrial Complex truck yard adjacent to the Cargo Solidarity Gwangju branch office. This non-union member is reported not to have participated in the general strike.

Clashes also occurred on the first day of the strike. The previous day, four union members were arrested and are under investigation for assaulting police officers by pushing them while blocking truck traffic in the petrochemical complex in Nam-gu, Ulsan.