14/01/2026
Seoul Bus Strike Causes Commuter Chaos
As Seoul city buses entered an indefinite strike from the first bus on the 13th after failing to narrow differences in wage negotiations between labor and management, online platforms have seen a series of posts expressing inconvenience ahead of commutes. Even in this situation, difficulties in resuming normal operations are anticipated as additional negotiation schedules have yet to be coordinated.
As of 4 p.m. that day, the keyword “bus strike” was trending in real time on X (formerly Twitter). The keyword had remained in the real-time trends since the morning commute hours. X’s real-time trends aggregate topics that users are frequently mentioning.
Netizens shared real-time inconveniences caused by the strike from the morning commute. One netizen wrote, “Every bus stop is chaos,” adding, “As a result, subways are also at full capacity.” They continued, “I think strikes are necessary, but I hope there are no more protests that hold commuting workers hostage for the sake of their livelihoods.” Other posts included, “I wasted money on a taxi this morning due to the bus strike,” “Even during times when subways are usually less crowded, today they are extremely busy because of the strike,” and “A 20-minute bus ride now takes 50 minutes.”
Voices expressing concern about traffic chaos ahead of the evening commute also emerged. Comments included, “Will the strike end before the evening commute?” “I’d rather walk for two hours,” and “It looks like I’ll have to work late voluntarily.”
The Seoul city bus strike also caused partial inconveniences for commuters in Gyeonggi Province. According to Gyeonggi Province, 390 routes (7,300 vehicles) in Seoul entered the strike that day, with 111 routes (2,505 vehicles) in 12 regions—including Seongnam, Anyang, Hanam, Gwangmyeong, and Goyang—affected. These regions mostly share Seoul bus routes due to their proximity to the capital.
In this context, labor and management of Seoul city buses are reported to have yet to coordinate even additional negotiation schedules.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government held a briefing that morning with the Seoul City Bus Transportation Business Association (Bus Association) and stated, “Currently, everything is uncertain, and it is difficult to determine what demands the labor union will make, when we will meet, or to what extent we should open possibilities and respond.”
Kim Jeong-hwan, head of the Bus Association, said, “Even after negotiations broke down in the early hours of that day, we discussed with the union for about an hour but failed to find common ground,” adding, “We have yet to set a negotiation schedule.” He continued, “While local city buses have also experienced the same situation and resolved wage negotiations, we have proposed better conditions compared to the already resolved local areas, but the union has not accepted them and is demanding even more. Despite proposing better conditions as negotiations progressed, the union continues to refuse.”
Earlier, the Bus Association and the National Automobile Labor Union Federation Seoul City Bus Labor Union (Bus Union) held negotiations at the post-adjustment meeting of the Special Mediation Committee on wages and collective agreements under the Seoul Regional Labor Commission but ultimately failed to reach an agreement, leading to the strike that day.
Seoul Bus Strike Causes Commuter Chaos Subways Overcrowded, Taxi Costs Soar as Negotiations Stall
