S. Korea sees easing disruption as truckers' strike extends

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Officials say South Korea’s economy is recovering from the initial shock of a nationwide walkout staged by thousands of cargo truckers, even as their strike reached its 14th day on Wednesday amid a stalemate with the government over freight fare issues.

The conservative government of President Yoon Suk Yeol has taken aggressive steps to defuse the impact of the strike, issuing contentious back-to-work orders to more than 2,000 drivers of cement trucks among broader groups of truckers participating in the walkout. Officials have also mobilized around 200 military vehicles, including container and fuel trucks, to ease the delays in industrial shipments.

Yoon's office has warned of stronger steps, such as expanding the so-called “work start” orders to broader groups of truckers, including those transporting fuel and steel, blaming the strikers for costing the economy more than 3.5 trillion won ($2.6 billion) in a moment of global uncertainty.

The strike’s impact has so far been mostly limited to domestic industries, such as construction, and there have been no immediate signs of meaningful disruption in major export businesses such as semiconductors.

Container traffic at the country’s major ports were back to 99% of normal levels as of Tuesday afternoon, according to data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Shipments of cement were also reaching 88% of normal levels, easing the disruption at construction sites.

The ministry said around 4,400 truckers were actively participating in the strike on Tuesday, down from 8,000 to 10,000 workers who participated during the early days of the strike, which began on Nov. 24.

The strikers, represented by the Cargo Truckers Solidarity union, are demanding the government to make permanent...