Seoul bus strike ends after two day walkout; service resumes Thursday

Park Jeom-gon, chairman of the Seoul City Bus Workers Union (left) shakes hands with Kim Jung-hwan, head of the Seoul Bus Transport Association, after reaching a wage agreement at the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission in Yeongdeungpo-gu, South Korea, early Thursday. (Yonhap)

Seoul's citywide bus strike ended late Wednesday after the bus drivers union and operators reached a deal on wages following extended negotiations, bringing relief to millions of commuters who faced disruptions since the walkout began early Tuesday.

The Seoul City Bus Workers Union and the Seoul Bus Transport Association finalized an agreement at approximately 11:50 p.m. at the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.

The talks, originally scheduled to end at 9 p.m., stretched late into the night before the two sides agreed on a 2.9 percent wage increase -- higher than the 0.5 percent in mediated proposals but below the union's 3 percent demand. The two sides also agreed to raise the retirement age in stages, from 63 to 64 in July and to 65 in July 2027, partially meeting union demands.

Bus service will resume with the first departures at 4 a.m. Thursday.

The strike had paralyzed roughly 93 percent of the capital's bus fleet-- some 6,540 vehicles -- forcing commuters onto overcrowded subways and taxi queues.

Emergency measures including extended subway service and free shuttle buses cost the city an estimated 10 billion won ($6.8 million) daily, according to Seoul city officials.

The dispute had centered on how to calculate wages following an October appellate court ruling that bonuses should be included in base pay, but the issue was set aside in the final talks.

The city of Seoul announced it would lift all emergency transport measures and return to normal operations Thursday.