Consecutive Comments for “Breaking Away from KCTU” in Hyundai Motor’s Labor Union Homepage

Voices have been arising in the Hyundai Motor labor union, the largest organization affiliated to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and the representative firm labor union, to break away from the KCTU.

This is due to the recent employment corruption scandal at the Kia Motors factory in Gwangju, which has caused the labor union’s morality to fall, and is following the public opinion that the labor union must be faithful to its role, after there was a scuffle at the KCTU special delegate conference on February 1. The course of how this issue will develop is in attention.

According to Hyundai Motor company on Thursday, February 3, centering around the Internet homepage of the labor union, movements to withdraw from KCTU have begun.

A netizen with the ID “조합원” (in English, union member), urged the breakaway through the Internet message board, saying, “Hyundai Motor’s labor union should not be denounced as the same as KCTU, and it is time we asked the union members seriously.”

Relating to this, a labor union executive official said, “Most of the comments on the Internet message board on withdrawing from the KCTU are left by the management side or outsiders. There are no union members officially requesting for withdrawal from the KCTU.”

Ki-Jeong Ko koh@donga.com