Talks between S. Korean rail union, management collapse

Negotiations collapsed on Friday between South Korea's state-run rail operator Korea Railroad Corp. KORAIL and its labor union as both sides failed to narrow differences over KORAIL's plan to operate the Suseo-dong High Speed Railway.

During the marathon negotiation starting on Thursday, the union urged that the government should withdraw the issue of a license for the new affiliate that will operate the new high-speed line from Suseo-dong in Seoul to the port city of Busan. But KORAIL responded that it was impossible.

"If striking workers do not go back to work by midnight, we will take actions against them," said KORAIL President Choi Yeon- hye at a press conference.

In response, the head of the labor union, Kim Myung-hwan, said the union won't end the strike until the government agrees not to issue the license for the new affiliate.

Though the government had stressed that the new KORAIL' s bullet train service would not be privatized, local union and protesters have firmly kept its stance on canceling the project while the railway workers' strike entering its 19th day.

Park Tae-man, a deputy union leader, and three other members of the union are still hiding in Jogyesa temple in down town Seoul to avoid arrest while seeking help from the religious community.

The country's largest Buddhist sect Jogye Order has vowed to help resolve the dispute at the deputy union leader's request.

The government urged the striking unionists to immediately return to work, saying it can no longer tolerate the "illegal strike." Local police have court-issued arrest warrants for 25 union leaders involved in the strike.

This longest strike in South Korean history has affected high- speed KTX, ITX, subway and cargo train operations. The KTX and freight service operations are currently down to 70 percent and 30 percent, respectively, according to KORAIL.

The number of subway trains has been reduced by 7 percent during morning rush hour and 11 percent during the evening in Seoul and surrounding Gyeonggi Province.

Some 8,700 out of a total of 27,000 employees of KORAIL had been joining in the strike and 1,070 of them returned to their workplaces as of Sunday.