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Airport labor union strike begins ahead of Chuseok holiday travel surge

Published: 01 Oct. 2025, 08:44 Updated: 01 Oct. 2025, 20:43

The Incheon International Airport is filled with visitors on Sept. 29. [KIM KYOUNG-ROK]

Airport labor union members in 15 airports across the country began an indefinite strike on Wednesday ahead of the Chuseok harvest holidays — a time when more than 5 million travelers are expected to pass through.

The national solidarity of airport workers announced that it began a full-scale walkout at 6 a.m. Wednesday.

The group will hold a general strike rally at 2 p.m. near Exit 3 of the domestic terminal at Gimpo Airport. Preliminary rallies are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on the third floor of Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport and 10 a.m. near Exit 3 of the domestic terminal at Gimpo.

The workers said the strike will continue through National Foundation Day on Friday and last through the remainder of the Chuseok holiday — which is set to end on Oct. 9, Hangul Day — unless their demands are met.

According to Incheon International Airport Corporation and Korea Airports Corporation, more than 5.26 million passengers are expected to travel through Korea’s 15 airports over the extended holiday period. At Incheon Airport alone, more than 2.45 million passengers are anticipated, raising concerns of significant disruption.

Authorities said they are deploying all available resources to minimize inconvenience for travelers.

Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' public transportation labor union and the coalition of airport labor unions across the country hold a rally at the Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 on Sept. 19. [NEWS1]

To speed up departure procedures, Incheon Airport will install additional X-ray screening machines at Checkpoint 1 in Terminal 2 and increase the number of security personnel. The departure hall’s opening time will also be moved up from 6 a.m. to 5 a.m., and airlines will deploy extra check-in staff.

Parking capacity will be increased by 1,300 spaces, and more late-night bus services will be made available to accommodate rising demand. The number of dedicated Smart Pass lanes — facial recognition-based departure services — will increase from three to five.

The national airport workers’ solidarity represents some 15,000 employees at 15 airports nationwide, including Incheon and Gimpo. These workers are responsible for runway and terminal maintenance, firefighting and electrical systems. Last month, they held a one-day warning strike demanding a shift from the current three-shift rotation system to a four-shift schedule and called for improved treatment of subcontracted workers.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]