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Gyeonggi bus unions may strike Oct 30, Seoul Metro union plans November action

Reported 2026-10-15 / Posted 2026-10-16 Updated · 2026-10-26 · Compiled from Korean media reports · By
Updated · 2026-10-26

Gyeonggi bus unions vote 97.7% to strike, final mediation on October 29 (October 26 update)

Gyeonggi bus union members approved a strike on October 23, with 8,792 of 9,001 voters (97.7%) in favor, Seoul Shinmun reported. The final mediation meets at 3 p.m. on October 29; if it fails, buses at 29 companies stop from the first run on October 30. Edaily's list of those companies includes Suwon-based Gyeonggi Airport Limousine (경기공항리무진), so airport bus trips from Gyeonggi that day are also at risk.

Bus unions in Gyeonggi Province plan to strike from the first bus on October 30 if final mediation on October 29 fails. A walkout would affect 4,130 buses on 854 routes in the province around Seoul, Gyeonggi Shinmun reported on October 15. Separately, Seoul Metro's union has set a November strike vote. Anyone with a Gyeonggi day trip planned for late October should line up a rail alternative.

Empty roadside bus shelter with a bench, route maps and an arrival display, beside trees and a white building on a sunny day
File photo: An empty bus shelter at the Bisan Sageori stop in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, in 2020.Photo: Bisan-dong Intercity Bus stop (Bisan Sageori Bus stop) by 고려 · CC BY 4.0 · resized

The essentials

  • Gyeonggi buses: unions at 29 companies with 9,369 members, covering 4,130 buses on 854 routes (Gyeonggi Shinmun).
  • October 23: members voted 97.7% in favor of a strike (Seoul Shinmun).
  • October 29: final mediation at 3 p.m. If it fails, the strike starts with the first bus on October 30.
  • Seoul Metro union: strike vote November 2–5, work-to-rule from November 20 (Newsis).
  • Status: neither action is certain, and the Seoul Metro union has set no strike date.

What happened

Gyeonggi's bus unions declared their wage talks with management broken on October 14, News1 reported the next day. The union side wants a 21.56% raise on public-management routes and 30% on privately run routes. Management cites cost and budget pressure and has proposed a wage freeze on the private routes, according to Gyeonggi Shinmun.

The unions also planned a rally for October 26. The affected network includes 63 gwangyeok (광역) routes, the red metropolitan express buses, with 942 buses between them. Past disputes have repeatedly ended in a deal reached before the first bus, and Gyeonggi buses have not fully stopped since 2012, the paper noted.

In Seoul, the union at Seoul Metro (서울교통공사) declared a dispute at an extraordinary delegates' assembly on October 15. Its talks had broken down on September 29 after 22 sessions, and it planned to file for mediation on October 16, Newsis reported. The union is acting jointly with the National Railway Workers' Union.

Its demands include a 3.5% raise, dropping a plan to cut 2,212 jobs, hiring 1,313 staff this year, state funding for public-service costs and two-person crews. Vote results are due at a joint press conference on November 6. A strike could follow the work-to-rule if talks stay stuck.

How it could affect your trip

The Gyeonggi dispute covers buses only. If it goes ahead, local buses and red express buses on the affected routes could stop from early morning on October 30. The 29 companies include Gyeonggi Airport Limousine, so its airport buses could stop as well.

The Seoul Metro plan is further off. A work-to-rule means staff follow every rule to the letter; when AREX staff did this in October, some rush-hour trains ran a few minutes late (our AREX and Busan strike post).

Before you travel: backup plan checklist

  • Check the night before. If your Gyeonggi trip falls on or after October 30, look for news of the October 29 mediation that evening.
  • Plan a rail route. Suwon, for one, sits on subway Line 1. In Naver Map or KakaoMap, compare a subway-only route with the bus option.
  • Book longer rail legs ahead. KTX and SRT seats are booked in one app, Korail+ (our Korail+ guide).
  • Booked a day tour? Ask the operator how the group travels. Gyeonggi's foreigner-only trips are covered in our EG Tour guide.

Our verdict

Keep your Gyeonggi plans, but do not hang a day on one bus route from October 30 until the mediation result is known; places on the subway network carry the least risk. The Seoul Metro dispute matters mainly to visitors staying past November 20, and even then nothing beyond a work-to-rule is scheduled. The next fixed date is the final mediation at 3 p.m. on October 29.

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