Shipping logistics experienced some disruptions around the country on Tuesday, the first day of a general strike launched by unionized truckers.

Some cement factories, including one in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, were forced to suspend cement shipments due to interference by union members. Some nine-thousand tons worth of daily shipments from Hyundai Steel's Pohang plant are also suspended.

However, the transport ministry believes there are no major disruptions so far, noting that emergency countermeasures are in place. All twelve ports nationwide are currently operating as usual.

The Cargo Truckers Solidarity, affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU), began an indefinite strike at 12 a.m. Tuesday, demanding a continuation of guaranteed minimum freight rates for truck drivers.

The system, introduced in 2020, is set to expire on the last day of this year due to a sunset clause.

Regional chapters of the truckers' union held rallies at 10 a.m. to mark the start of the walkout, with more following in the afternoon. The government estimates 82-hundred drivers, or some 37 percent of the union's 22-thousand members, participated in the morning rallies.

Despite government assurances, disruptions will likely be inevitable should the strike carry on. The transport ministry has requested police deployment at key logistics hubs to prevent illegal acts by strikers, such as vehicle obstruction.