Why the shelves of your nearest CU look empty

Some CU convenience stores across South Korea are running low on food and daily necessities as a weekslong logistics strike continues to disrupt deliveries, with no clear end in sight.

Since April 5, members of Cargo Truckers Solidarity, under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, have been blocking access to key distribution centers operated by BGF Retail in cities including Jinju, Hwaseong, Anseong and Naju, slowing or halting shipments to stores.

Cargo Truckers Solidarity members hold a rally in front of a BRF Retail logistics center in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, on April 25. (Yonhap News)

As the disruption spread to production, a major food manufacturing plant in Jincheon was also affected, cutting off supplies of about 18 ready-to-eat items — including gimbap, sandwiches and rice balls — from April 17. In some areas, stores have reduced orders from six days a week to three; elsewhere, orders have stopped altogether as a central distribution center remains offline.

Tensions escalated after a union member died in an accident at a BGF Retail's logistics center in Jinju on April 20. The union has since held rallies and memorial gatherings at the site, while continuing negotiations with the company.

According to labor authorities and police, representatives of the union and BGF Logistics, the company’s logistics arm, have met several times but failed to narrow their differences. An initial meeting took place on April 22, followed by working-level talks in Daejeon and Changwon on Friday and Sunday.

The disruption is increasingly being felt at the retail level. A group of CU franchise owners is preparing a formal statement opposing the strike, and some have posted notices in their stores criticizing delivery refusals and warning of threats to their livelihoods.

Union officials say they had sought negotiations for months and reject the characterization of the dispute as a conflict between drivers and store owners. They are calling for higher delivery fees, guaranteed rest days and the withdrawal of legal actions against drivers.

This article was produced with the assistance of AI. -- Ed.