Via dongA.com:

December 4 marks the fourth consecutive day of the Korea Cargo Transport Workers Union’s walkout and the damage is materializing now with the cargo transportation of main harbors like Busan and Gwangyang decreasing by half.

The Korea Cargo Transport Workers Union has been trying to obstruct the transportation of cargo not affiliated with the union by setting fire to automobiles, by scattering nails on the road, or by other illegal means that have totaled up to 67 crimes, with 25 suspects under police investigation.

It’s criminal activity like this that turned me off to most unions a long time ago. I’m surprised more people in the blogosphere haven’t mentioned or talked about this. Some of the wonderful activities perpetrated by the more, eh, enthusiastic members of the union include:

- severing oil pressure gauges of non-union truck drivers.

- throwing 10 cm nails across the roads of certain factories and harbors.

- setting non-union trucks on fire.

- throwing stones at the windows of non-union trucks - while they are driving

Busan is a major port and North East Asia hub. Further disruption will cause a ripple effect in the world economy as shipments are delayed and/or re-routed and carriers are forced to adjust on-the-fly.

If you import from Korea check with your suppliers and freight service providers to ensure they have contingency plans in place to deal with the problem. Even if you don’t import from Korea it would be a good idea to check the routings of your ocean carriers: Are your shipments on vessels that normally originate or transit through Korea? Are your carriers experiencing any kind of delays or other problems related to the slowdown in Korea? If so, what action are they taking to ensure your shipments are being taken care of?

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