Cargo truckers strike cuts container movement at South Korean ports

Started

2022-11-24 (24 November 2022)

Ended

2022-12-09 (9 December 2022)

Status

ended

Type

Labour action

Severity

3 Significant

Scope

regional

Chokepoints

None

Ports

Busan, Gwangyang, Incheon, Ulsan

Lanes

None

Countries

South Korea

Confidence

medium: The start date and the union's demands come from the International Transport Workers' Federation, the federation of the striking union. The return to work orders, the port throughput figures and the closing vote rest on Korean press reporting of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport data, consistent across two outlets, rather than on a ministry release we could retrieve.

First reported

2022-11-23 (23 November 2022)

• Severity basis: Landside container movement at the country's 12 main ports, including Busan, Gwangyang, Incheon and Ulsan, was cut for more than seven days, the closest non measured criterion to a port level restriction of seven days or more.

1. 2022-11-23The International Transport Workers' Federation says its Korean affiliate will stop work from midnight, with about 25,000 drivers expected to join, over the government's refusal to remove the sunset clause on the Safe Rates system. [s1]
2. 2022-11-24The strike begins. Container volumes at the main ports fall sharply on the first day, with Busan and Gwangyang together handling under 15,000 TEU, according to trade press citing the ministry and the Busan city government. [s2]
3. 2022-11-29The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport reports container movement at the 12 main ports at 37 percent of normal levels at 17:00, with Gwangyang and Ulsan worst affected and Busan recovering somewhat. [s3]
4. 2022-12-08The government orders drivers in petrochemical and steel haulage back to work, the second such order after an earlier one covering cement haulage. [s4]
5. 2022-12-09Union members vote to end the action, with nearly 62 percent of the 3,574 who voted in favour out of 26,144 members. The Busan branch had already told members to return to work that morning. [s4]

No corrections to this record as of 2026-09-16 (16 September 2026).

1. [s1] International Transport Workers' Federation, Truck strike: South Korean government risks people's lives and economic damage by reneging on safety law promise, published 2022-11-23 (23 November 2022), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (official)
2. [s2] The Maritime Executive, South Korea's Truckers Resume Strike Blocking Ports and Manufacturing, published 2022-11-24 (24 November 2022), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (press)
3. [s3] YTN, [경제]국토교통부 "전국 항만 컨테이너 반출입량 평시 대비 37% 수준", published 2022-11-30 (30 November 2022), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (press)
4. [s4] The Korea Times, Striking cargo truckers vote to end walkout, published 2022-12-09 (9 December 2022), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (press)

The address of this record is permanent and a correction is always logged on this page, so a citation names the version you read. Add the date you accessed it.

Plain text

World Freight Monitor. "Cargo truckers strike cuts container movement at South Korean ports." Last updated 2026-09-16 (16 September 2026). https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2022/cargo-truckers-strike-south-korea-2022/

APA

World Freight Monitor. (2026). Cargo truckers strike cuts container movement at South Korean ports. World Freight Monitor. https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2022/cargo-truckers-strike-south-korea-2022/

BibTeX

@misc{wfm_cargo_truckers_strike_south_korea_2022,
  author = {{World Freight Monitor}},
  title = {Cargo truckers strike cuts container movement at South Korean ports},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Last updated 2026-09-16},
  url = {https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2022/cargo-truckers-strike-south-korea-2022/}
}