Bus Strike Imminent in Six Major Cities Including Seoul and Busan
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: "Emergency Transportation Countermeasures Headquarters Activated, Full Effort to Inform Citizens"
With a nationwide simultaneous city bus strike looming, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has begun preparing measures to minimize inconvenience for citizens and to respond to potential crowd congestion.
On the afternoon of May 27, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held a "National City Bus Strike Response Agency Meeting," with a total of 16 agencies participating, including central government ministries, local governments, and related organizations. The ministry conducted a focused review of emergency transportation measures in preparation for the nationwide city bus strike scheduled for May 28.
This meeting was held amid concerns that a simultaneous strike could become a reality if labor-management negotiations break down in six major local governments: Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Gwangju, Ulsan, and Changwon. Unions in these regions have already announced their intention to begin striking on May 28.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport strongly requested that each local government work to facilitate agreements between labor and management to prevent a strike. At the same time, the ministry decided to establish an "Emergency Transportation Countermeasures Headquarters" to respond immediately in the event a strike does occur. The director of the Transportation and Logistics Office will head the headquarters, and a system of constant cooperation with related agencies will be maintained to minimize transportation disruptions.
In addition, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will cooperate with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, local governments, police, and transportation corporations to deploy "on-site situation managers" at locations where crowds are expected to gather, such as subway stations during commuting hours, and will make every effort to prevent safety accidents.
Um Jeonghee, Director of the Transportation and Logistics Office at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, urged, "Local governments should secure as many alternative transportation options as possible to minimize inconvenience for citizens, and promptly provide information related to the strike to the public."
Kim Jungryul, Director General of the Social Disaster Response Bureau at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, emphasized, "It is important to ensure safety management at places such as subway stations where crowds may suddenly gather," and added, "We will thoroughly prepare in cooperation with related agencies to prevent accidents."
The government plans to activate a response system to reduce crowding and traffic congestion, regardless of whether the strike takes place.
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