South Koreans shying away from labor organizations, protests

'Defeat' of truckers' union signals subtle change in public sentiment

Left: People in Seoul's Myeongdong shopping district in 2020. Right: Unionized cargo workers during a large protest in Seoul in 2019. (Source photos by Reuters and Penta Press)

HIROSHI MINEGISHI, Nikkei senior staff writer

December 25, 2022 11:30 JST

TOKYO -- The political clout of South Korea's combative labor unions and citizen groups may be waning. These often-militant forces are losing their ability to rally people for massive protests, which have long been a fixture in the country's political landscape.