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SEOUL: The South Korean government said on Saturday it was trying to end a crippling strike by truckers that has severely hit operations at the country's major port of Busan.
Transportation minister Chung Jong-Hwan met in the southern port with cargo owners and transport companies, and urged them to "engage actively in talks" with the union, the ministry said.
"The representatives of management expressed their intention to do so as the root cause of the strike was the rise of diesel price," the ministry said in a statement.
Prime Minister Han Seung-Soo also visited a cargo terminal in southern Seoul and met with cargo operators.
Thousands of South Korean truckers went on strike Friday, demanding steps to cut energy costs or raise transport fees after the diesel price rose more than 30 percent since the beginning of this year.
The number of truckers taking part in the action across the country doubled to more than 10,000 on Saturday, disrupting operations at Busan, Gwangyang and other ports, according to the ministry said.
Busan, through which 75 percent of the country's shipping containers pass, remained severely affected Saturday.
But some non-union members, who had stayed away due to fears of retaliation from striking workers, returned to work, a Busan official told AFP by phone.
The strike is expected to affect 20 percent of the transportation of shipping containers, according to the ministry.
The walk-out came despite a 10 billion US dollar government package announced Sunday, which includes tax rebates for 12.8 million people for one year and subsidies for low earners to buy fuel. It would also help truckers.
In 2003 a truckers' strike which began at the country's largest port of Busan spread nationwide and caused export losses estimated at 540 million US dollars after strikers blocked ports and highways with their vehicles. - AFP/ac
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