Rail workers' union to strike Tuesday over gov't limit on Korail’s bonus calculation
Published: 22 Dec. 2025, 16:53
![Passengers get off a train at Seoul Station in central Seoul on Dec. 22. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/22/da605881-37b7-4a49-ace2-da836d696cc0.jpg)
Passengers get off a train at Seoul Station in central Seoul on Dec. 22. [NEWS1]
Around 12,000 railway workers will go on strike on Tuesday in what could be Korea’s largest rail walkout, with the Korean Railway Workers’ Union (KRWU) demanding changes to performance bonus rules.
“We will fight with the fate of the union on the line,” the KRWU said in a statement on Monday, warning that fewer trains will be in operation and delays of up to an hour can be expected.
The union also said that the general strike will begin at 9 a.m. on Tuesday and that it plans to hold a rally in front of the Dongwha Duty Free building in Gwanghwamun in central Seoul at 2 p.m.
The strike centers on the union’s call for changes to the calculation of performance-based bonuses.
Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail) employees receive performance bonuses based on 80 percent of their base pay. The union is demanding that the standard be raised to 100 percent, in line with other public institutions.
The lower rate stems from a Ministry of Economy and Finance decision in 2009, when it penalized Korail for applying newly revised base pay guidelines a year late. The union argues that keeping this penalty in place for more than a decade is unfair.
![A train moves through Seoul Station in central Seoul on Dec. 22. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/22/c0a2b33d-068c-4658-b63d-719e3715376d.jpg)
A train moves through Seoul Station in central Seoul on Dec. 22. [NEWS1]
“Our demand is simple,” the union said, pointing out that “some agencies received the same penalty for just one year in 2012 and have long since returned to the 100 percent standard.”
Korail management also sympathized with the union's demand to revise the bonus standards, emphasizing that the longstanding issue is rooted in conflict between labor and the Finance Ministry, not with management itself.
“If the KRWU goes on strike, we are concerned about severe congestion and inconvenience during the year-end and New Year travel period,” Korail management said in a statement.
"For 15 years, different bonus standards have reduced employees’ real income and lifetime earnings. The continued dispute over this issue has triggered serious labor-management conflict for years, to the point that it has disrupted stable rail operations annually.”
![Banners put up by the Korean Railway Workers’ Union hang at Seoul Station in central Seoul on Dec. 22. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/22/86ee0043-451c-4ee9-92cb-6183963f6b5b.jpg)
Banners put up by the Korean Railway Workers’ Union hang at Seoul Station in central Seoul on Dec. 22. [YONHAP]
Korail also issued a separate press release on Monday, saying that if the strike moves forward, "services on the Seoul Metropolitan Subway and other commuter lines could be reduced by 25 percent."
“We plan to deploy internal staff and use military personnel to maintain service levels, but intervals on some lines could stretch to 40 minutes or even an hour," Korail said.
Meanwhile, SR Corporation, which operates the Super Rapid Train (SRT), said it launched an emergency response team on Monday in preparation for the strike and will operate all SRT trains at full capacity during the walkout.
“We will mobilize all available resources to minimize disruptions for high-speed rail passengers even if the KRWU carries out the strike,” said Shim Young-joo, the acting CEO of SR Corporation.
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 KIM JUN-YOUNG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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