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South Korea's major union group staged a massive rally in central Seoul on Friday over the minimum wage and the status of irregular workers, posing the first labor challenge to new liberal President Moon Jae-in.

   Some 50,000 unionized workers nationwide affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) gathered for a "social general strike" in Gwanghwamun Square, according to union officials. The KCTU represents over 40 percent of the country's union members.

   "Today, we rise as a driving force of irregular workers who have been ignored and discriminated against, and treated as 'ghosts'. The social general strike goes for the irregular employees," Choi Jong-jin, interim chairman of the nation's second largest labor umbrella group, said...

   The union calls for steps to eradicate discrimination against irregular workers and improve their working conditions. They also demand the minimum pay be raised by 54 percent to 10,000 won (US$8.73) per hour next year...(source: Yonhap, 6.30)

Related (English)articles:
☞ 40,000 to go on strike Friday (K. Times, 6.29)
☞ Social dialogue needed for real solution to irregular work... (Hankyoreh, 7.01)

Here just some impressions(photographed by comrade Choi Ji-eun, one of the dismissed HYDIS workers) depicting the central "social general strike" rally(@Gwanghwamun) and the beginning of the following struggle demo(here you can watch KCTU's short docu, depicting the event), throughout central Seoul...

Related reports in Korean(incl. lots of pics) you'll get here:
☞ 민주노총 사회적 총파업, “오늘은 비정규직의 날, 내일은 비정규직 없는 세상” (노동과 세계)
☞ 학교비정규직들의 핑크빛 광장 “엄마·아빠가 비정규직 없는 세상 만들게” (민중의소리)
☞ 비정규직 전면에 나선 사회적 총파업…5만여 명 결집 (참세상)
☞ 민주노총 최초 비정규직 중심 대규모 파업 (금속노동자)
☞ "최저임금 1만원! 비정규직 없는 세상!" 민주노총 사회적 총파업 (보건의료노조)