Unionized railway workers hold a news conference to announce their general strike plan in front of Seoul Station, Nov. 21. Yonhap

About 70,000 railway, subway and education service workers, all affiliated with the militant labor umbrella organization the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), will simultaneously go on a general strike early next month, their unions said Tuesday.

The large-scale walkout plans were announced by the unions of KTX and regular train operator the Korea Railroad (KORAIL), Seoul Metro (operator of subway lines 1-8) and Seoul Subway Line 9 and a union of non-regular school workers in a news conference in front of the presidential office in central Seoul on Tuesday morning.

They said KORAIL's unionized workers plan to launch an indefinite strike on Dec. 5, followed by simultaneous walkouts by the unionized Seoul subway workers and non-regular school workers on Dec. 6.

They also said some members of the KCTU-affiliated Cargo Truckers Solidarity will stage a three-day strike beginning Dec. 2, while unionized workers of the National Pension Service and Korea Gas and some civil service workers in Seoul are preparing to walk out.

"The joint strike is intended to protect the lives and safety of the people and basic labor rights and achieve the abolition of discrimination," the four unions said, demanding President Yoon Suk Yeol step down without delay to take the blame for causing the strikes. Yonhap