When did the second POSCO partial strike start and where is it taking place?

The second partial strike began at 7 a.m. on Wednesday and is being carried out at POSCO’s steel plants in Pohang and Gwangyang in southern Korea. The walkout is set to continue for 120 hours.

How is POSCO management responding to the strike?

POSCO said it does not expect major disruption to plant operations and that about 60 workers from each of its Pohang and Gwangyang plants are expected to join the strike. Management has offered a 2 percent increase in base pay, which remains far below the union’s demand.

POSCO workers stage 2nd partial strike over wage demands

Q: What are POSCO workers demanding in the wage dispute?

The union is seeking a 7.1 percent increase in base pay, a performance bonus equal to 600 percent of base pay, 50 company shares per worker and a holiday bonus equal to 200 percent of base pay. It also says staffing shortages and aging facilities raise safety concerns.

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Summary

Unionized workers at POSCO began a second partial strike in Pohang and Gwangyang on Wednesday after wage talks with management stalled. The 120-hour walkout follows a 48-hour strike last week, the first by POSCO workers since the company was founded in 1968. The union said the larger action would cause inevitable disruptions, while POSCO said plant operations would not be heavily affected.

Key Facts

The second partial strike began at 7 a.m. and is scheduled to last 120 hours.
About 120 workers joined the first 48-hour walkout, and the union said about twice as many workers are taking part in the second strike.
POSCO has about 17,000 employees, including around 10,100 union members.
The union is demanding a 7.1 percent increase in base pay, a performance bonus equivalent to 600 percent of base pay, 50 company shares per worker and a holiday bonus equivalent to 200 percent of base pay.
Management has proposed a 2 percent increase in base pay, leaving the two sides far apart over wage terms.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 16, 2026 8:44 am KST

POSCO's steel plant in Pohang, 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Sept. 9 / Yonhap

Unionized workers at Korean steelmaker POSCO began a second partial strike Wednesday after failing to narrow differences with management in wage negotiations.

The 120-hour walkout began at 7 a.m. at POSCO's steel plants in Pohang and Gwangyang in southern Korea, the union said.

POSCO has about 17,000 employees, including around 10,100 union members.

The strike follows a 48-hour walkout that began at 7 a.m. last Wednesday and involved 120 workers, marking the first strike by POSCO workers since the company was founded in 1968.

The union said the second strike would cause inevitable disruptions as about twice as many workers are participating compared with the first strike.

POSCO said, however, that there would be no major disruption to plant operations, with about 60 workers each from its Pohang and Gwangyang plants expected to join the strike.

The union has demanded a 7.1 percent increase in base pay, a performance bonus equivalent to 600 percent of base pay, 50 company shares per worker and a holiday bonus equivalent to 200 percent of base pay.

In addition to wage increases, the union has cited staffing shortages and aging facilities as factors that could lead to safety incidents.

Management, meanwhile, has proposed a 2 percent increase in base pay, leaving the two sides far apart over their key wage demands.

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