Daewoo Motor unionists clash with police; 10 injured

Unionized workers at Daewoo Motor`s Pupyong plant clashed with riot police Monday, the third straight day of demonstrations over large-scale layoffs.

Some 350 dismissed workers wielding iron pipes and truncheons came to blows with police while attempting to join other protesters and their families inside the plant`s main gate. About 10 unionists were hurt in the violence.

Some radical unionists threw iron bars and metal pieces taken from barricades at police and showered them with water using fire extinguishers and large hoses.

Amid the chaos, some 10 unionists and their families managed to get inside the facility while others tangled with police after being stripped off the surrounding iron fence.

Police deployed about 1,800 riot police around the plant to prevent more unionists from entering.

To brace for a possible assault by authorities, unionists blocked gates with containers and barricaded roads with car windshields and other auto parts.

Park Joung-Gu jangkung@donga.com