South Korea’s state-run highway operator says it will directly hire hundreds of contract toll booth workers. 

The announcement on Tuesday by the Korea Expressway Corporation came days after a local court in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, where the company is located, ruled in favor of contract workers in a lawsuit seeking better working conditions.  

The company said, however, the change in employment status will only be applied to around 850 workers who have been working for them since before 2015. It added around 90 other workers who have been hired since 2015 would be considered for regular, direct hire at a later date. 

Unionized workers of the company, who are members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU), protested the company's move, pointing to the court verdict that all plaintiffs, regardless of when they were employed, should be directly hired.