Union officials estimated that some 50,000 workers from 126 companies joined the first day of the strike. South Korea's two main airlines are among the hardest hit by the walkout. By refusing to work, flight attendants and ground crews at Asiana Airlines and pilots at Korean Air Lines forced the airlines to cancel 407 of their 555 scheduled flights.

Workers from the petrochemical and synthetic textile industries have also joined the action.

The KCTU issued a call for another nationwide strike for July 5.

The South Korean rulers are concerned about the impact of these stoppages on foreign investment and on their profits. The Korean Employers Confederation has called on the government to take tough measures.

"If unions and workers act illegally, and if they act violently, then it will invite police action," said South Korean president Kim Dae Jung. The government has claimed that the strike is illegal since the workers did not go through arbitration required under industrial legislation.  
 
 
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