2 cargo truckers on strike booked on suspicion of obstructing non-striking driver

 Police have booked two striking cargo truckers for investigation for allegedly obstructing the operation of a non-striking truck driver, officials said Monday.

The two members of the Cargo Truckers Solidarity’s branch in the southeastern port city of Pohang are under suspicions of stopping a 7.5-ton truck driven by a non-unionized driver in the city Friday and insulting him with vulgar language.

The trucker filed a report with police after his vehicle was blocked from passage for several minutes at an interchange leading to downtown Pohang, officials said.

Separately, a striking trucker in his 20s has also been booked for investigation for throwing two eggs at a running truck that was transporting shipping containers in the southern city of Changwon on Friday.

Police decided to press a charge of violence targeting a driver, which carries a heavier punishment than a business obstruction charge, given that the suspect threw the eggs from a running car, according to police officials.

The strike by unionized truckers entered its fifth day Monday, as they demand the government extend temporary rules guaranteeing minimum freight rates, citing high fuel prices.

Police in some parts of the country were dispatching patrol cars and police bikes to escort non-striking trucks at major traffic points against potential threats by truckers on strike.