S. Korea orders striking truckers to return to work

South Korea's government ordered some of the thousands of striking truck drivers to return to work Tuesday, insisting that their nationwide walkout over freight fare issues is hurting an already weak economy. President Yoon Suk Yeol's order was approved in a Cabinet meeting and targeted cement truck drivers. It was the first time a South Korean government exercised its controversial powers under a law revised in 2004 to force truckers back to work.

A failure to comply without "justifiable reason" is punishable by up to three years in jail or a max fine of 22,400 USD. Thousands of members of the Cargo Truckers Solidarity have been striking since last Thursday. It is their second walkout across South Korea since June, calling for the government to make permanent a minimum freight rate system that is set to expire at the end of 2022.