South Korea Airport Workers, Including Incheon, to Launch Nationwide Strike on Sept. 19, 2025

Nationwide Airport Workers to Begin Strike on September 19, 2025

Workers from 15 airports across South Korea, including Incheon International Airport (@incheon_airport) and Gimpo International Airport (@gimpoairport_official), will launch a general strike on Friday, September 19, 2025, continuing through the Chuseok holiday.

The strike is organized by the National Alliance of Airport Workers, which is composed of the Incheon Airport Regional Branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions’ Public Transport Workers’ Union and the National Airport Workers’ Union. The total number of union members is approximately 15,000, and this is the first time the two unions are joining together in a general strike.

They are demanding the transition from the current 3-shift, 2-rotation system at Incheon Airport, which has been linked to occupational deaths, cardiovascular diseases, infertility, and miscarriages, to a 4-shift, 2-rotation system. They are also calling for additional staffing in line with the fourth-phase expansion of Incheon Airport. Union members mainly belong to airport subsidiaries and are responsible for runway and terminal maintenance, firefighting, and electrical systems management.

The alliance is demanding:
(1) Transition from 3-shift, 2-rotation to 4-shift, 2-rotation at Incheon Airport
(2) Staffing increases for the fourth-phase expansion of Incheon Airport
(3) Improvement of working conditions for subsidiary employees at airports nationwide

Considering that even without a strike during the previous Lunar New Year holiday, airports experienced delays of 3–8 hours, disruptions including flight cancellations are expected during the Chuseok holiday.

—

UoH offers a personal assistant program with two types of services. For traveling in Korea, we assist with any type of reservations, rentals, and personal assistance. For shopping, we purchase anything you need and ship it to your home. Feel free to email us at uofhorang@gmail.com for a quote and to find out how to proceed!