In South Korea, thousands demonstrate in favour of truck drivers

On Saturday, tens of thousands of protesters from the labour movement marched through the
capital of South Korea to oppose attempts by the government to compel thousands of truckers
who had gone on strike over the cost of freight to return to work. The rallies in Seoul’s
vicinity of the National Assembly were not immediately associated with any reports of
serious altercations or injuries.
The marchers, who were primarily Korean Confederation of Trade Unions members, accused
President Yoon Suk Yeol’s conservative administration of labour oppression and ignoring
what they described as the truckers’ difficult financial circumstances and harsh working
conditions, which were made even worse by rising fuel prices.
The government ordered over 2,500 cement truck drivers to report back to work on Tuesday,
claiming that their walkout is upsetting the country’s economy. As the union pledged to
continue the strike, it was unclear how many truckers went back to work after the directive.