Oh Se-hoon: "Democratic Labor Union's General Strike Causing Inconvenience Amid Heavy Snow... Political Strike"

"Communicate and Persuade Until the Last Moment"

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon criticized the large-scale general strike announced by labor unions under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) scheduled for the 5th and 6th of next month as a "political strike."

On the 27th, Mayor Oh posted on Facebook titled "Are you planning to cause inconvenience to citizens through a political strike?" referring to the heavy snowfall that morning, stating, "Many citizens are enduring this crisis by considering each other despite the inconvenience on their way to work."

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is entering the briefing room at Seoul City Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 26th to announce support measures for small business owners. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

He then targeted the unions, saying, "In this situation, the KCTU is announcing an indefinite general strike involving 70,000 workers including those in railroads, subways, and meal services on the 5th and 6th of next month," and criticized, "They have put aside their original purpose of protecting workers' rights and instead prioritized political slogans such as 'the answer is the resignation of the government.'"

Mayor Oh expressed concern about the inconvenience the strike would cause citizens. He said, "What is even more worrisome is that this strike targets public infrastructure essential to citizens' daily lives. Last week, the biggest suffering from the subway slowdown protest was experienced by citizens living in the outskirts who have no choice but to use public transportation for long hours," emphasizing, "The KCTU, which claims to represent workers, is actually trying to hold back the workers who are going through the toughest times."

He also criticized the strike for having political motives. Mayor Oh wrote, "Key executives of the KCTU, a labor organization with one million members, were recently sentenced to heavy penalties for engaging in North Korean espionage activities under the guise of labor movements, and recently, when they tried to hold an outdoor rally with the Democratic Party for the government's resignation but faced public backlash, they switched to a separate rally," adding, "Now is the time for deep reflection on the direction of the labor movement."

He concluded by saying, "Seoul City will communicate and persuade until the last moment," and "We will devise and implement all possible measures to ensure that citizens' daily lives do not come to a halt."