[Report] "How Long Will Citizens Be Held Hostage?"... Frustration Grows as Gwangju City Bus Strike Drags On

Bongseon 37 Operation Rate Drops to 30 Percent...
Seonun District Hit Hard
City Deploys 6 Chartered Buses, Overall Operation Rate at 79 Percent

On the morning of the 16th, marking the 9th day of the Gwangju city bus union strike, citizens are waiting for buses at the bus stop in front of the main gate of Honam University in Gwangsan District, Gwangju. Photo by Min Chanki

"How long must this strike continue to hold citizens' daily lives hostage?"

On the morning of the 16th, marking the 9th day of the Gwangju city bus union strike, citizens are waiting for buses at the bus stop in front of the main gate of Honam University in Gwangsan District, Gwangju.

That morning, the bus stop was crowded with students waiting for buses after finishing their morning classes. This stop is served by the Bongseon 37 bus, which runs through Sunun District, Hanam District, and Sochon-dong, but due to the city bus strike, buses were delayed by more than 20 minutes compared to usual.

The Bongseon 37 route, which usually operates 23 buses, was running only 7 buses that day. Considering there are no alternative bus routes serving the Sunun District area, the Gwangju city government deployed 4 additional chartered buses on this day.

However, there was no sign of arrival information on the bus arrival display, and citizens kept refreshing their smartphone apps as they waited endlessly for the bus.

Some students, seemingly resigned, spent their time sitting on benches at the stop, looking at their smartphones. There were also those who sighed when a bus other than the one they were waiting for arrived.

Cho, a 23-year-old resident of Sochon-dong, said, "It's even more stressful because this overlaps with midterm exam period. I feel anxious because I don't know how long this will last," adding, "It's inevitable that it's inconvenient when the only city bus route serving areas like Sunun District is on strike. I wonder how much longer we will have to endure this hardship."

There were also those who voiced criticism over the strike, which has continued for more than a week.

Jung, a 31-year-old office worker, said, "A commute that normally takes 20 minutes now takes over an hour. The bus intervals are so irregular that you never know when the next one will come," adding, "I feel pressured at work, and it's just too exhausting. In the end, it's the citizens who suffer the most."

Previously, at the first post-mediation session of the Regional Labor Relations Commission on the 13th, the management proposed halting the strike and resuming negotiations on the condition of a 2.5% wage increase. However, the union demanded a 5% wage increase as a precondition for resuming talks. The commission attempted to mediate with a 3% increase, but the union reportedly rejected this, causing negotiations to break down.

The Gwangju city government has secured around 60 chartered buses (serving 20 routes) and, starting from this day, deployed 6 chartered buses to two routes with low operation rates (2 for Circulation 01 and 4 for Bongseon 37). The city also set up a 24-hour emergency response center and decided to increase subway service by 12 additional runs.

As of this day, the Gwangju city bus operation rate stands at 79.2%.