Truckers say minimum pay is key to fighting inflation

UIWANG, South Korea: Inside five white tents outside the Uiwang container depot near Seoul, about 200 striking truckers huddle around gas heaters, trying to fight the bitter cold and the government narrative that they are well paid labour aristocracy, all too aware of the impact their strike has had on South Koreans at a time of record inflation. These drivers, and tens of thousands of others striking across the country, say their calls for minimum pay protections are all that stand between them and poverty.

We are not the enemy. Kim Young-chan, a 63-year-old container truck driver, said that we are loyal to our country because we are contributing to exports. Our money is stretched to eat and live for a month. As many as 25,000 truckers are calling for a minimum-pay system, known as the Safe Freight Rate, which was introduced in 2020 for a small portion of the more than 400,000 truckers, as a result of soaring fuel costs.