Seoul bus strike averted after last-minute wage deal

Seoul city buses will operate normally Wednesday after labor and management reached a last-minute wage agreement early in the morning, averting a strike that had been scheduled to begin at 4 a.m. The two sides reached the agreement at around 1:50 a.m. after nearly 12 hours of negotiations at the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission. Under the deal, wages will rise 3.2 percent in 2026, up 0.3 percentage point from last year's 2.9 percent increase. The two sides, however, left unresolved a key dispute over the number of monthly working hours used to calculate ordinary wages. They agreed to determine the calculation standard after a related Supreme Court ruling expected later this year. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it has lifted emergency transportation measures prepared for the strike and that public transportation will operate as usual.