Participants chant slogans at the 2025 KCTU general strike and all-out struggle rally held near Euljiro 1-ga Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, last year. [Yonhap]
Participants chant slogans at the 2025 KCTU general strike and all-out struggle rally held near Euljiro 1-ga Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, last year. [Yonhap]

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) is holding a general strike rally drawing about 10,000 participants in the Gwanghwamun area of Seoul on Wednesday, calling on primary contractors to join collective bargaining and demanding the guarantee of fundamental labor rights. Sectoral unions in metal, construction, service and public transport are among those taking part, while police plan to deploy more traffic officers than usual to manage congestion in the city center.

The KCTU will hold the "July 15 General Strike Rally — Breaking Through Enterprise-Level Bargaining, Winning Labor Rights for All Workers" at 3 p.m. in front of the Dongwha duty-free store in Jongno-gu, Seoul. After the rally, participants are expected to march to Cheong Wa Dae.

The general strike was organized in response to the so-called Yellow Envelope Act, which took effect in March, to press primary contractors to acknowledge their responsibilities as employers and engage in substantive direct bargaining. The KCTU also plans to denounce cases of contractors evading negotiations and to lay out its legislative agenda for the second half of the year, including recognition of employment status for special-type and platform workers and expansion of minimum wage coverage.

"After the preliminary rallies wrap up, everyone will converge at the main general strike rally in front of the Dongwha duty-free store at 3 p.m.," a KCTU official said. "We expect more than 10,000 people to participate."

Ahead of the main rally, affiliated organizations will hold sector-specific preliminary gatherings. The Seoul branch of the Korean Metal Workers' Union will rally in front of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office at 1 p.m. before joining the main event. The Plant Construction Union of the Construction Industry Federation will hold a rally at the same time in front of S-Oil's headquarters in Mapo-gu, Seoul, while the Mart Workers' Union of the Service Federation will stage a Homeplus-related rally at 2 p.m. in front of Cheong Wa Dae. A call-center workers' rally is set for 1:30 p.m. in front of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office, and a care workers' rally will take place at 2 p.m. in front of the Dongwha duty-free store.

The main rally will open with an address by KCTU Chairman Yang Gyeong-su, followed by speeches from representatives of the Democratic General Federation, the Korean Metal Workers' Union and the Service Federation. After a cultural performance and the reading of a resolution, participants are expected to begin marching toward Cheong Wa Dae at around 3:56 p.m.

Beyond Seoul, KCTU regional chapters in Jeju and North Gyeongsang Province will also hold general strike rallies, and the Korean Metal Workers' Union will stage regional gatherings across the country, including in Gyeonggi Province, Busan, Ulsan, Gwangju, North Jeolla Province and South Chungcheong Province.

Police are preparing to manage traffic around Gwanghwamun and Sejong-daero, where congestion is expected due to the large-scale rally and march. "We have made all the necessary on-site preparations," an official from the Jongno Police Station said. "We plan to increase the number of personnel deployed beyond the usual level to handle vehicle detours and traffic management."


jookapooka@heraldcorp.com