Railway Union Rally of 4,000 in the Rain... "Opposing Railway Privatization"

On the 28th, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' National Railway Workers' Union held a "Railway Workers' General Resolution Rally" at around 2:10 PM in front of Seoul Station.
Photo by Gong Byung-seon mydillon@

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] Despite the rain, over 4,000 members of the Korea Railroad Workers' Union (KRWU), affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, gathered in the heart of Seoul to oppose railroad privatization. The government stated that it has no intention to privatize the railroads.

On the 28th, the KRWU held a "Railroad Workers' General Resolution Rally" at around 2:10 PM in front of Seoul Station to mark Railroad Day. According to the KRWU's estimate, about 4,000 railroad workers gathered at the rally. They shouted slogans such as "Oppose Railroad Privatization" and "Fight for Collective Bargaining."

The KRWU declared its opposition to the current government's railroad privatization policy. The union stated, "We oppose the splitting of the railroad, which is another name for railroad privatization," and added, "If the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) splits the railroad to privatize it, we will use every possible method to block it." They also defined share sales, opening vehicle maintenance to the private sector, and the division of control rights and maintenance tasks as "covert privatization."

Emphasizing the necessity of operating the Suseo-bound KTX, the union requested dialogue with the government. The KRWU said, "The Suseo-bound KTX is the fastest way to ensure convenient mobility rights for 6 million local citizens and to eliminate regional discrimination," and requested, "We ask MOLIT to take a proactive stance to enable early operation, even before this year's Chuseok holiday."

However, on the same day, MOLIT clarified that the participation of private manufacturers in railroad vehicle maintenance is part of safety measures and unrelated to privatization. They also explained that they have not considered expanding SRT operations to general lines such as the Jungang Line.

At around 2:50 PM, the KRWU concluded the first rally in front of Seoul Station and marched to the Yongsan Presidential Office, where they held a second rally. Since the court allowed only up to 500 participants for the rally in front of the Yongsan Office, the KRWU announced that only 500 members would participate in the second rally in accordance with the court's decision.