Korean Confederation of Trade Unions

KCTU held a press conference calling for an end to US imperialist war of aggression at 10 a.m. on the 7th in front of the U.S. Embassy in South Korea.
Regarding the Trump administration’s abduction and extradition of Venezuelan President Maduro, members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) expressed outrage, stating that “the United States is committing war crimes while revealing its blatant imperialist ambitions.”
The KCTU condemned the Trump administration’s abduction and extradition of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to the United States on the 3rd as “a clear war crime that has seized a nation’s sovereignty and an imperialist atrocity that destroys the Venezuelan people’s right to self-determination.”
Furthermore, they stated, “Acts of overturning a country’s political destiny through military violence and arrest cannot be tolerated under any pretext. The damage will immediately translate into the destruction of workers and people’s lives and safety.” They demanded that the United States: ▲Immediately cease its illegal occupation of Venezuela ▲Immediately release abducted President Nicolás Maduro and stop violating sovereignty ▲Halt war crimes aimed at resource plunder; and that the Korean government: ▲Express protest to the Trump administration for violations of international law.
In his opening remarks, KCTU President YANG Kyeung-soo stated firmly, “At the start of the new year, the Trump regime has trampled on another nation’s territory using helicopters, warships, and armored vehicles, and kidnapped a president elected by sovereign citizens. Even without invoking UN law, it is common sense that one country kidnapping another country’s president—the highest authority—is a serious crime.”
He also strongly criticized, “This is a situation where it would not be strange at all if it led to war. They are openly threatening other countries besides Venezuela. Imperialist invasion aimed at plundering oil and resources is raising its head again. The one who should be arrested is none other than Trump.”
Regarding the Lee Jae-myung administration, President YANG also urged, “They must clearly express condemnation and opposition to Trump. They must clearly understand that the only thing to be gained by watching and prostrating oneself is humiliation.” The KCTU then declared that it would work with the people and workers worldwide to rectify America’s acts of aggression.
Representatives from affiliated organizations spoke in succession. Song Geum-hee, First Vice-president of the Korean Health and Medical Workers’ Union, said, “They have fully revealed their nature of the law of the jungle that destroys world order. They are simultaneously targeting not only Venezuela but several countries. We must reconsider and judge whether it is right to maintain an alliance with the United States, which violates international law and commits war crimes through invasion and kidnapping.”
Kim Gyu-jin, Vice-president of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union, stated, “This has shown us that the United States is not ‘Captain America’ defending democracy, but merely a street gang leader searching students’ pockets in back alleys. It is an incident that clearly demonstrates that if it benefits imperialism and monopoly capital, the citizens of other countries are treated as merely a handful of cumbersome obstacles.”
Kim Jin-eok, Chairperson of the KCTU Seoul Regional Council, emphasized, “If we condone America’s actions, the international order will fall into the abyss of barbarism. Those sacrificed in imperialist wars of aggression have always been working people, women, children, and the vulnerable. We must stop this. Trade unions and working people worldwide must fight together in solidarity.”
Through the press statement, we declared, “The KCTU will firmly maintain international solidarity with Venezuelan workers and people and join the struggle of workers worldwide against imperialist war and invasion.“​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
International Trade Union ConfederationITUC - Asia Pacific@top fans

[Statement]Victory After 20 Years of Struggle - Trade Union and Labour Relations Adjustment Act Amendment Passed
2026 Shall Mark the Dawn of the Right to Collective Bargaining for Precarious, Disguised-Self employed, and Subcontracted Workers

Today, the National Assembly of Republic of Korea has finally passed the amendment to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Adjustment Act(TULRAA). For over twenty years, countless martyrs have fallen, and workers have filled the streets with their blood, sweat and voices, crying out: “End damage claims and provisional seizures used to suppress unions! Principal employers must come to the bargaining table! Amend the TULRAA!” Our calls have not been in vain. Today’s achievement is the historic fruit of their noble sacrifice. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions welcomes this with profound emotion.
Yet this amendment is not complete. Countless workers remain outside the law’s protection, whilst employers continue their cunning evasion and the government’s measures remain inadequate. Today marks not an end, but a beginning. The KCTU shall mobilise its full organisational strength to secure the remaining tasks.
Every working person has the right to organise and bargain collectively with their employers. This simple and clear truth has finally been enshrined in law after twenty years. The KCTU shall advance towards even greater expansion of rights based on this achievement.
The KCTU immediately activates the ‘Campaign Headquarters for Realising the right to collective bargaining with Principal Employes’. From the moment the amended TULRRA takes effect in March 2026, we shall ensure its power lives and breathes in every workplace. To make 2026 the ‘inaugural year for fundamental labour rights of precarious workers’, we shall launch total struggle to make negotiation rights guarantees and expanded worker status a reality. Rights shall live and breathe in workplaces, not merely in legal provisions.
We declare with certainty: The KCTU shall stand shoulder to shoulder with workers on the ground, fighting to the end against repression. No difficulty, no barrier shall stop us.
We make clear to the Lee Jae-myung government: The law has passed, but without follow-up guidelines and measures, it is worthless. The KCTU strongly demands the government responsibly produce concrete measures befitting the law’s spirit. Should the government damage or diminish workers’ rights, we shall respond with total struggle.
The business community must not dream of any attempt to deny or neutralise this amendment. The TULRRA amendment is now irreversible. It is a historic decision made by workers and citizens. Should you evade negotiation and responsibility, the KCTU shall hold ‘principal employers’ accountable through total organisational struggle. We shall compel employer responsibility through workplace power that transcends law.
The KCTU declares today not an end, but a beginning. Until we secure labour rights for all workers, until we break the chains of inequality, until we open a world where workers are masters, our struggle shall not cease.
We are witnesses to history. We have come this far through blood, sweat and sacrifice. The road ahead shall be no easier. Yet the KCTU shall advance step by step to the very end. Against all forces that trample workers’ rights, we shall march towards greater and more complete liberation.

24 August 2025
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions

International Trade Union Confederation ITUC - Asia Pacific

2025 KCTU Mayday Rally in the rain

⚖️ 🇰🇷 Constitutional Court’s unanimously decided to impeach former President Yoon Suk Yeol for leading an insurrection.

👏 Congratulations to the Korean trade union movement for its tireless fight .

🚨 The fight is not over! The struggle continues for a society where all workers can unionise freely, enjoy full labour rights, and access quality public services. Together, we push that delivers justice, equality, and a better future✊

ITUC - Asia Pacific Korean Confederation of Trade Unions International Labour Organization United Nations ESCAP ASEAN

SENTRO Solidarity Message with the Korean People and the KCTU

SENTRO stands in firm solidarity with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the sovereign people of South Korea in their historic victory against insurrection and far-right authoritarianism.

The unanimous impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol is not just a legal triumph—it is the result of 123 days of relentless struggle by the Korean people in defense of democracy, justice, and workers’ rights. This is a powerful reminder that the people, when organized and united, can defeat even the most deeply entrenched fascist forces.

But the struggle is not yet over. Like our comrades in Korea, we know that dismantling authoritarian systems requires more than removing a figurehead. It demands the elimination of the far-right forces embedded in political institutions, media, and society.

We join you in the call for comprehensive social reform—where all workers have the right to unionize, where public services are protected, and where no one is left behind in a society rooted in equality and justice.

From the Philippines to Korea, the people’s struggle continues.
Let us fight together to win a future that respects labor, democracy, and human dignity.

[scroll down for English version]

จากเหตุการณ์ที่เกิดขึ้นในเกาหลีใต้ หลังจากที่ยุน ซอกยอล อดีตประธานาธบดี ประกาศใช้กฎอัยการศึกโดยมิชอบ เมื่อวันที่ 3 ธันวาคมที่ผ่านมา ห้ามการนัดหยุดงานและการชุมนุมทางการเมือง โดยอ้างเรื่องภัยคุกคามจากคอมมิวนิสต์เกาหลีเหนือ เพื่อปราบปรามขบวนการแรงงาน จำกัดสิทธิเสรีภาพของประชาชน และผู้เห็นต่างทางการเมืองอย่างรุนแรง ทว่าสหภาพแรงงานและประชาชนเกาหลีใต้หลายแสนคนได้เข้าร่วมการชุมนุมในกรุงโซลและเมืองอื่น ๆ ทั่วประเทศอย่างต่อเนื่อง เพื่อเรียกร้องให้ยุน ซอกยอลลาออกจากตำแหน่ง แม้ต้องเผชิญสภาพอากาศอันหนาวเหน็บ โดยเฉพาะในช่วงเดือนธันวาคมและมกราคม ซึ่งมีหิมะตกหนักและอุณหภูมิต่ำกว่าศูนย์องศาเซลเซียส และเผชิญการคุกคามและการจับกุมจากเจ้าหน้าที่ตำรวจ

จนในที่สุดวันนี้ 4 เมษายน 2568 จากการรวมพลังและความกล้าหาญของชนชั้นแรงงานและประชาชนเกาหลีใต้ ก็สามารถผลักดันให้ศาลรัฐธรรมนูญเกาหลีใต้มีมติรับรองการถอดถอนนายยุน ซอกยอล ออกจากตำแหน่งประธานาธิบดีอย่างเป็นทางการ จากกรณีประกาศกฎอัยการศึกโดยมิชอบเมื่อวันที่ 3 ธันวาคมที่ผ่านมา โดยคำตัดสินนี้มีผลบังคับใช้ทันที ทำให้เกาหลีใต้ต้องเตรียมจัดการเลือกตั้งประธานาธิบดีคนใหม่ภายใน 60 วัน คาดว่าจะจัดขึ้นในวันที่ 3 มิถุนายนนี้

พวกเรา สหภาพคนทำงาน ขอแสดงความยินดีและยืนหยัดสนับสนุนการต่อสู้ของประชาชนชาวเกาหลีใต้และสมาพันธ์สหภาพแรงงานเกาหลีใต้ (KCTU) นัดที่หยุดงานทั่วประเทศอย่างต่อเนื่อง เพื่อต่อต้านการปกครองที่กดขี่เอื้อประโยชน์ต่อกลุ่มทุนผูกขาดของยุน ซอกยอล และป้องกันไม่ให้พวกเขาหวนคืนสู่อำนาจ พวกเราขอย้ำเตือนว่า ความสำเร็จครั้งนี้เกิดจากพลังของการรวมตัวของคนทำงาน ไม่ใช่จากอำนาจหรือการเมืองของชนชั้นนำ

เรายังขอสนับสนุนให้การเลือกตั้งที่จะเกิดขึ้นในเร็ววันนี้ เป็นการเลือกตั้งที่สะท้อนเจตจำนงของชนชั้นแรงงานและประชาชนอย่างแท้จริง เพื่อปกป้องและขยายสิทธิในการจัดตั้งสหภาพแรงงาน รับรองการเจรจาต่อรองร่วมในระดับอุตสาหกรรม ต่อต้านการแปรรูปบริการสาธารณะ สร้างสังคมที่เต็มไปด้วยสามัญสำนึกซึ่งคนงานได้มีชีวิตที่สมศักดิ์ศรีในทุกวัน และทำงานอย่างปลอดภัย ในสภาพแวดล้อมที่เอื้อต่อสุขภาพและความเป็นมนุษย์

ด้วยความสมานฉันท์ของคนงานทั่วโลก เราขอร่วมยืนหยัดเคียงข้างสหภาพแรงงานเกาหลีใต้ในการต่อสู้ครั้งนี้จนกว่าชัยชนะจะเป็นของคนงานทุกคน ✊

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Following events in South Korea, after former President Yoon Suk Yeol unlawfully declared martial law on December 3rd, prohibiting strikes and political gatherings under the pretext of threats from North Korean communists, a brutal attempt was made to suppress the labor movement, limit civil liberties, and silence political dissent.

Nevertheless, hundreds of thousands of workers and citizens across South Korea have continuously protested in Seoul and other cities nationwide, demanding Yoon Suk Yeol step down, despite facing harsh winter conditions—with heavy snowfall and temperatures plunging below freezing during December and January—and enduring threats and arrests by police.

Today, April 4, 2025, the collective courage and relentless struggle of South Korea’s working class and citizens achieved a historic victory. The Constitutional Court of South Korea officially confirmed the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol, immediately removing him from the presidency due to his illegal declaration of martial law last December. Consequently, South Korea must now hold a presidential election within 60 days, anticipated to occur on June 3rd.

We, the Workers’ Union, wholeheartedly congratulate and stand in solidarity with the ongoing struggle of the Korean people and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), who have courageously conducted nationwide strikes against Yoon Suk Yeol’s oppressive administration that serves monopolistic capital interests, aiming to prevent their return to power. This victory was made possible by the collective strength of workers, not by the power or politics of elites.

We further advocate for the forthcoming election to truly represent the will of the working class and ordinary citizens, safeguarding and expanding the right to unionize, recognizing industry-level collective bargaining, opposing privatization of public services, and building a society of common sense, dignity, safety, and humanity for all workers.

In international solidarity, we continue to stand alongside the Korean labor movement in this struggle until final victory belongs to all workers.

Korean Confederation of Trade Unions

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held an emergency outdoor delegates meeting in central Seoul today (April 3), just one day before the Constitutional Court announces its verdict on suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment.

We're absolutely convinced the Court will unanimously vote to remove Yoon from office! But in the virtually impossible scenario that the impeachment is rejected, we've pledged to launch full-scale resistance! 💪

Our plan adopted:
- Protest rally tomorrow evening (April 4)
- Nationwide resistance with citizens on April 5
- Complete general strike across all unions on April 7