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Trucking strike in South Korea costing billions of dollars

There’s no end in sight for the South Korean truckers strike, which has now stretched into its eighth day, costing Asia’s fourth largest economy close to $2bn and counting.

Steel mills, automotive plants, petrochemical complexes and microchip processors are all reporting difficulties in getting their products to market with truckers from the Cargo Truckers Solidarity union making very strategic protests in their demands for better pay.

The army was drafted in yesterday to help move containers from the nation’s ports, all of which have reported significant throughput drops since the industrial action commenced.

The truckers’ union said in a statement on Tuesday it would continue its general strike and condemned the transport ministry for being “neither willing to talk nor capable of resolving the current situation”.

Sam Chambers

Starting out with the Informa Group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine as well as East Asia Editor for the world’s oldest newspaper, Lloyd’s List. In 2005 he pursued a freelance career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia Editor at Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and The International Herald Tribune.
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