But the group of ageing drivers are often seen as outliers in the country's combative and politicised industrial landscape and their success may not be a harbinger of any wider labour market peace, experts say.
the truckers avoided blocking roads or holding violent rallies that might have angered a public weary of demands by unionists who are better compensated than non-union peers and small business owners. "They have learned that opportunity cost of strikes could be colossal, leading to arrest of union leadership, financial damages union members have to suffer," he said.Thousands of truckers headed back on the roads on Wednesday after the union and the government reached a late-night agreement to end an eight-day strike.
The peaceful resolution means South Korea's new conservative president has escaped his first major economic challenge largely unscathed. South Korean truck drivers on strike outside a container port in Incheon on June 14, 2022. PHOTO: AFPBut experts say it does not signal a fundamental shift away from the politicised and still militant elements in South Korea's industrial scene.