Unionized railway workers launched a general strike from 9 a.m. Thursday to demand the expansion of public railroads and the implementation of a four-group, two-shift schedule.

The Korean Railway Workers' Union will stage the strike for four days until 9 a.m. next Monday.

According to the union, some 13-thousand workers are taking part in the walkout, excluding around nine-thousand necessary for maintenance.  

During the four-day strike period, KTX high-speed trains will operate at 68 percent of normal levels, ordinary trains at 60 percent, and metropolitan subway trains at 75 percent. 

The government has launched an emergency countermeasures system and plans to minimize disruptions in train operations by bringing in substitute workers to maintain operations at 90 percent of normal levels during the morning rush hours on metropolitan subway lines and at 80 percent of normal levels during afternoon peak hours. 

Additionally, in cooperation with local governments, the government plans to deploy buses to Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon during rush hours. 

Meanwhile, the transport ministry plans to work closely with railway police to respond to any illegal activities that may occur during the strike, including actions that obstruct the duties of personnel operating trains.