A nationwide truckers strike in South Korea moved into a third day on Sunday as protests continued against the high prices of fuel and low pay, leaving transportation ports and inland container terminals at breaking point.

15,000 truckers across the country joined together to protest against president Lee Myung-bak, costing the country approximately US$3.5bn according to the country's commerce ministry.

The volume of containers handled at inland container facilities and major ports has dropped dramatically to 14,969 TEUs, compared with the normal daily average of 67,871 TEU.

The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs has reported that container storage at Busan Harbour's North Port hit 86 per cent on Sunday, compared with the regular daily average of 72.1 per cent, while storage at the Busan International Container Terminal Pier in Busan reached a high of 101.8 per cent.

To compound the government's problems, protestors have also expressed their anger at president Myung-bak's decision to resume imports of US beef.

Topics