SEOUL: South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered preparations for widening a back-to-work order beyond the cement industry amid a prolonged truckers' strike.
Thousands of South Korean truckers have been on strike for more than 10 days, with negotiators for the government and unions making no progress on their disagreements over minimum pay rules.
Yoon, a conservative, has invoked a start work order, the first in the country's history, on 2,500 drivers in the cement industry, forcing them to return to the road or face penalties.
On Sunday Yoon called on government ministers to make preparations to issue a return-to-work order on such sectors as oil refining and steelmaking, where additional damage is expected, a spokesperson for Lee Jae-myoung said.
Yoon ordered ministers to take action to minimize damage, such as employing alternative drivers, military personnel and military equipment, and punishing those violating laws during the strike.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, an umbrella group, is planning a general strike on Tuesday.
Yoon said that the planned strike was a politically motivated action, rather than a goal to represent the workers' rights, signalling a potentially harsh reaction from the government, according to Lee.
While holding the people's living and national economy hostage at the time of economic difficulty makes the survival of weaker, unorganised workers harder and deprives future generations and the general public of their future jobs, Yoon said.