The head of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU) has urged the government to halt its attacks against the umbrella union and seek ways to resolve the ongoing truckers' strike through dialogue.

Meeting with reporters on Thursday, KCTU chief Yang Kyung-soo also called on President Yoon Suk Yeol to engage in talks, accusing the transport ministry and the ruling People Power Party of passing the buck.

Yang argued that the safe trucking freight rates system, which is set to expire by the year's end, is proven to have reduced truckers' working hours and traffic accidents, criticizing the government for opposing the union's demand to expand the scope of the system.

While the government has assailed the truckers' union for sacrificing the public’s livelihood for its own interests, the union leader claimed that Thursday's return-to-work order for steel and petrochemical truckers only serves the interests of conglomerates.

Yang said the government talks of law and principle without presenting grounds that the strike is illegal. He also accused the government of condemning the walkout as an illicit act over lapses by some union members.