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Commuter chaos awaits as Seoul subway unions vote to strike in December

Published: 25 Nov. 2025, 17:57 Updated: 26 Nov. 2025, 13:07

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

Passengers are seen waiting for the next subway train at Seoul National University Station on subway line 2 in Gwanak District, southern Seoul on July 4. [NEWS1]

Seoul’s subway network is once again on the brink of shutdown, with all three labor unions of the Seoul Metro Corporation poised to strike in December. The move could lead to major disruptions across subway lines 1 through 8 if negotiations with city officials fail.

The largest metro union, affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), announced that it will launch a full-scale strike on Dec. 12 unless the Seoul Metropolitan Government and company management take “a forward-looking stance.” The other two unions are also expected to join in the strike.

At a press conference outside Seoul City Hall on Tuesday, the main metro union warned, “If the city continues to ignore our demands and hides behind repetitive cost-cutting rhetoric, a general strike on Dec. 12 will be inevitable.”

Starting Thursday, unions will hold a large rally in front of Seoul City Hall, followed by a work-to-rule strike from Dec. 1 as pressure tactics ahead of a possible walkout.

All three unions have secured the legal right to strike after wage negotiations collapsed and the National Labor Relations Commission’s Seoul regional office ended mediation. Strike authorization votes passed overwhelmingly, with the KCTU-affiliated union voting 85.5 percent in favor, the second Federation of Korean Trade Unions-affiliated union voting 78 percent in favor and a union for younger voters voting 95.3 percent in favor.

Passengers on a Seoul subway line are seen tagging their phones to pass the subway gate at a station in Seoul on July 22. [YONHAP]

The unions’ key demands center on wages and staffing, including halting layoffs, hiring safety personnel, reversing pay cuts and guaranteeing workplace safety. The main union accused the city of “pushing ahead with restructuring plans to cut 2,200 jobs” while freezing new hires, raising concerns of labor shortages as veteran workers retire at year-end.

While the government has capped public-sector wage hikes at 3 percent this year, the corporation says budget shortfalls mean it can only afford a 1.8 percent increase, deepening the impasse.

Negotiations have been further complicated by the recent resignation of Seoul Metro CEO Baek Ho, leaving Vice President Han Young-hee as acting head. Observers say the leadership vacuum has weakened management’s ability to reach a deal, increasing the risk of a prolonged standoff that could paralyze the capital’s transit system during the busy winter season.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]