Boxes, barrels and problems pile up at South Korea's biggest port

Busan's economy was struggling even before the coronavirus outbreak

Busan is South Korea's second largest city in terms of both population and economic activity. Despite government efforts to support industry, the city has recorded tepid growth in recent years. © Getty Images

STEVEN BOROWIEC, Contributing writer

May 12, 2020 13:38 JST

BUSAN, South Korea -- At a factory on the western edge of Busan, Lee Sun-do's worries are literally piling up.

In an outdoor storage lot, stacks of barrels containing industrial lubricants wait to be loaded onto trucks, driven to the South Korean city's massive international port and shipped overseas.