The Korean Railway (KORAIL) labor union went on a strike from September 14th, 9 a.m., to 18th, 9 a.m., demanding Suseo Korea Train eXpress (KTX) and improvement in working conditions. This is in response to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MOLIT) reducing the Suseo-Gyeongbu line to increase Super Rapid Train (SRT) routes from two to five. The labor union believes that Suseo KTX can resolve the seat shortage issues triggered by the reduced Gyeongbu line during the weekdays. However, the government is vocal that the current KTX and SRT operations are carefully designed to maintain the railway competitive system. Moreover, according to the government, the labor union’s demand for Suseo KTX not only violates the railway competitive system but also goes against the current railway status and thus cannot be implemented immediately. The government defined the KORAIL labor union’s strike as an “illegal strike” and warned of a hardline response with no compromise. Park Ji-hong, director of MOLIT, firmly responded in a press conference on September 13th that “no government policy except labor management is subject to negotiation.” During the strike, 1170 trains were suspended, and metropolitan trains and KTX operated at 75% and 68% of normal conditions, respectively. The government and KORAIL mobilized all essential maintenance personnel and replacement personnel to maintain 90% of operations during the rush hour.