South Korea

Thousands strike against US beef

Article published on the 2008-07-02 Latest update 2008-07-02 16:07 TU

Catholic nuns in prayer demanding renegotiatation of the US beef deal
(Photo: Reuters)

Workers in South Korea staged strikes today in protest at controversial plans to import US beef. The country's most combative trade union federation, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), claimed that it had mobilised 136,000 in work stoppages. Meanwhile Catholic priests, Protestant pastors and Buddhist monks joined candlelight protests.

The KCTU said that the strikers include 44,000 workers at the largest automaker Hyundai Motor and 29,000 at its affiliate Kia Motors. The Labour Ministry said 90,000 workers nationwide have joined the stoppage.

President Lee Myung-Bak has sworn to "sternly deal with the illegal, politically motivated strike," according to a presidential spokesperson. The KCTU admits that the strike is political but does not accept that it is illegal.

The union says that tens of thousands of workers will travel to Seoul on Saturday to join candlelight protests.

The demonstrations, which were joined by religious groups on Wednesday, have sometimes turned violent with protestors fighting with riot police.

The government, which claims to have won new assurances from Washington over the beef, has pressed ahead with the imports. Beef importers' association chief, Pak Chang-Gyu, says that the first delivery of 200 kilogrammes sold out in five hours.

The office of Prime Minister Han Seung-Soo bought 12 kilogrammes. An official said that Han will eat some himself to try and allay public health fears. Beef imports into Korea were stopped in 2003 after a case of BSE, or "mad cow disease", occured in the United States.