'We are not your enemy', say South Korean truckers striking for minimum wage protections

Striking South Korean unionised tank drivers Lee Geum-sang and Ham Sang-jun pose in front of tank trucks as they participate in a nationwide walkout in front of a major oil storage facility in Seongnam, south of Seoul, South Korea, December 1, 2022. REUTERS/Ju-min Park

UIWANG, South Korea (Reuters) - Inside five white tents outside the Uiwang container depot near Seoul, about 200 striking truckers huddle around gas heaters, trying to fight the bitter cold and the government narrative that they are well paid "labour aristocracy."

They are all too aware of the impact their strike has had on South Koreans at a time of record inflation. But these drivers, and tens of thousands of others striking across the country, say their calls for stronger minimum pay protections are all that stand between them and poverty.