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The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), one of the nation's two umbrella labor groups, went ahead with its planned general strike yesterday despite the fact participation was much lower than expected.

Of the 50-plus hospital unions that threatened to walk off the job, only 27, including the influential Seoul National University Hospital union, took part in the job action.

The walkout by an estimated 12,000 medical personnel, who are seeking to pressure their employers into hiring more full-time workers, did little to disrupt hospital services nationwide, largely owing to the fact emergency room and intensive care unit staff members remained on the job. The administrations at affected hospitals also mobilized replacement workers.

The feared strike by employees of the nation's four auto makers, who are opposed to the planned sale of two of the companies to foreign investors, did not take place.

KCTU chairman Dan Byung-ho told reporters in the morning that while the labor group welcomed the shift in the government's attitude toward the union's proposal to reduce working hours, it would go ahead with the walkout as scheduled. The government has so far failed to meet the union's demand to present a concrete timetable for introduction of a shortened workweek.

The KCTU said some 70,000 unionists from 141 member firms took part in the walkout, about 30,000 less than the group had originally announced.

However, the Labor Ministry put the attendance at as little as 36,000 unionists from 106 firms. "The KCTU figure is higher because it includes unauthorized construction workers' unions and others that were already on strike," a ministry official said. "It also included a number of firms that reached labor-management agreements during the day." Apart from hospitals, the ministry cited Korea Heavy Industries and Construction (Hanjung), National Livestock Cooperatives Cooperation (NLCC), Kumho Tire, and LG Chemical Ltd. as the major sites of the job action.

Meanwhile, the ministry said it would deal harshly with any illegal strikes.

The walkouts by hospital unions and the NLCC were viewed as illegal by the ministry, the former for not taking the necessary steps to stage a strike and latter for striking for reasons other than wages or working conditions.

Meanwhile, some 15 rallies took place across the country yesterday, including a 20,000-member rally in front of Seoul's Chongmyo Park.