[Exclusive] President Lee Jae Myung to Meet Kisun Chung... A Pivotal Moment for the Autumn Labor Struggle

[Financial News] President Lee Jae Myung is reportedly considering meeting HD Hyundai Chairman Kisun Chung. The meeting is expected to be a watershed moment in determining whether shipbuilding industry labor unions launch a general strike.
According to ruling-party and labor sources on the 28th, a plan for President Lee to meet Chairman Chung in the near future is under consideration. The meeting concerns ROKS Daeho Kim Jong-seo, the South Korean Navy's newest Aegis destroyer. ROKS Kim Jong-seo is the third ship in the Jeongjo the Great-class destroyers and is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy at the end of next year after sea trials and evaluation tests.
Industry and labor circles are paying attention not so much to what Lee and Chung will discuss, including ROKS Kim Jong-seo, as to the impact their meeting will have on the autumn labor struggle, as the shipbuilding industry stands at a crossroads over a general strike.
The Hyundai Heavy Industries branch of the Korean Metal Workers' Union previously declared negotiations deadlocked and announced plans for a full strike after the Chuseok holiday. The Hanwha Ocean chapter of the Korean Metal Workers' Union has continued alternating between partial and full strikes since Aug. 31. The Shipbuilding Industry Union Alliance, made up of unions at eight workplaces, plans to launch a joint strike.
With a sweeping autumn labor struggle imminent, attention is focused on whether the meeting between Lee and Chung will ignite the fuse or provide an opportunity to temporarily postpone the general strike. Labor circles are reportedly divided on the issue.
If the situation enters a lull, expectations are growing that it could signal a smooth resumption of labor-management negotiations. Samsung Heavy Industries, considered one of the Big Three shipbuilders along with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean, reached a dramatic settlement just before Chuseok. The union is reportedly planning to decide whether to launch a general strike after resuming negotiations. 
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