HiteJinro Soju Shipment Resumes... Protest in Front of Factory Ends but Tensions Remain

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] The shipment of soju products has resumed at HiteJinro's Icheon and Cheongju factories, where product shipments had been halted for two days due to the Cargo Solidarity Union's road-occupying strike.

According to industry sources on the 25th, alcoholic beverage shipments have been proceeding normally from that day at HiteJinro's Icheon and Cheongju factories. Previously, the Cargo Solidarity Headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' Public Transport Workers' Union held rallies with around 500 participants each at the Icheon and Cheongju factories on the 22nd and 23rd, conducting road-occupying strikes. As a large number of people gathered around the factory entrances, making shipment operations impossible, HiteJinro decided to suspend alcohol shipments for two days. Due to this suspension, shipments of soju products, which usually amount to about 130,000 boxes per day, were disrupted for two days. In terms of bottles, this is approximately 3.9 million bottles per day.

With normal shipments resuming from this day, HiteJinro expects the shipment rate to maintain a level similar to usual. Since sufficient inventory has been secured, nighttime shipments will not be conducted for the time being. A HiteJinro official stated, "Shipments are proceeding normally, but some truck drivers at the Icheon factory are driving slowly on the roads," adding, "If no special unexpected situations occur, the usual shipment volume is expected to continue."

The conflict between both sides has been ongoing for four months. About 130 truck drivers affiliated with Suyang Logistics, a freight transport subcontractor for HiteJinro, joined the Cargo Solidarity under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions at the end of March and began striking. Starting with a partial strike in March, they launched a full strike on April 2 and have continued refusing transportation even after the Cargo Solidarity's general strike ended. They are demanding increases in transportation fees and empty bottle shipping charges, as well as payments for vehicle advertising costs and idling/waiting time expenses.

During this process, the truck drivers illegally parked their vehicles near the factory entrances, occupying the roads. HiteJinro has responded by filing civil and criminal lawsuits against them and actively requesting crackdowns from the local government and police authorities. The police have been working to secure the factory entrances and nearby roads, but the truck drivers’ resistance is intensifying. The local government office of Icheon City, which has jurisdiction, maintains that aside from imposing fines, practical measures are difficult to implement.

Meanwhile, on the 22nd, some union members who committed illegal acts during a rally at HiteJinro's Cheongju factory were arrested in flagrante delicto. The Cheongju Heungdeok Police Station arrested 29 Cargo Solidarity union members on charges including violation of the Assembly and Demonstration Act and obstruction of business, and is investigating the exact circumstances of the offenses. They are accused of blocking trucks entering and leaving the factory during the rally held in front of the Cheongju factory around 6:30 p.m. that day, thereby obstructing operations.