The plan was disclosed in a press conference, in front of the City Hall of the South Korean capital, held by the largest of the three unions of Seoul Metro, the operator of lines 1 to 8 of the Seoul subway service.

The strike, if occurs, will take place for the third consecutive year; the main issues in dispute are wage and staffing increases. The company offered a 2.5 percent wage increase, but the union is demanding a higher raise.

Concerns about massive rail service disruptions are growing as the South Korea Railway Workers’ Union, in charge of metro operations in the metropolitan area and domestic train services, also threatened an indefinite general strike early next month.

The Seoul Metro union, which represents 60 percent of its workforce, announced that its members will begin a work stoppage from this Wednesday as part of the general strike plan.

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