South Korea ordered thousands more cargo truck drivers to return to work on Thursday, as they staged a walk out over freight fare issues. The government said it could leave "deep scars" on the country's economy.

The strike by truckers serving the petrochemical and steel industries has been going on for the past fifteen days, and concerns about supply chain issues are rising. The strike has mostly impacted the domestic construction industry.

Unions are calling for government to make a minimum freight rate system — which expires at the end of the year — permanent.

They're also calling for the system to be expanded and apply to truckers hauling other forms of cargo.

"The prolonged unjustifiable refusal of transportation is seriously damaging to our industry and economy," Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said during a Cabinet session. 

He said the strike was likely to impact shipments of key exports, including semiconductors and automobiles.

Strike could affect economy

The back-to-work orders approved by President Yoon Suk-yeol, which were issued on November 29 on about 2,500 cement truck drivers, were expanded on Thursday to about 6,000 drivers who transport steel, and 4,500 who transport fuel and chemicals. 

Police are also clamping down on unionists or any individuals who disrupt colleagues who choose to work.

The finance ministry said it was conducting an on-site investigation of 33 truck operators and 778 drivers in the cement industry.

"Should the group walkout last for a longer period, blast furnaces, which are considered the heart of steel plants, are feared to face disruptions under a worst-case scenario," Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho said.

These orders are the first time a South Korean government has used a law revised in 2004 which says failure to comply without justifiable reason is punishable by up to three years in prison, or a fine of up to 30 million won (roughly €21,700 or $22,700).

Critics say the law does not clearly spell out what would qualify as acceptable conditions for a strike.

Some labor groups have approached the International Labor Organization, asking it to review whether the government orders breach workers' rights. South Korea's Ministry of Employment and Labor confirmed to AP news agency that the UN agency sent a letter under the name of Corinne Vargha, director of international labor standards, requesting that Seoul clarify its stance over the dispute.

tg/msh (AP, Reuters)