South Korea disruption eases despite extension of truckers’ strike

Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions stage a rally to support the ongoing strike by truckers (Yonhap via AP)

South Korea’s economy is recovering from the initial shock of a nationwide walkout staged by thousands of cargo truckers, even as their strike reached its 14th day on Wednesday amid a stalemate with the government on freight rate issues.

The conservative government of President Yoon Suk Yeol has taken aggressive steps to defuse the impact of the strike, issuing contentious back-to-work orders to more than 2,000 drivers of cement trucks among broader groups of truckers participating in the walkout.