Transport minister Won Hee-ryong has said that a proposal by the government and ruling camp to extend the safe trucking freight rates system by three years is no longer on the table.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Won said the government and the ruling People Power Party(PPP) had made the offer on November 22 in a bid to prevent damage to the national economy, but the Cargo Truckers Solidarity's decision to strike nullified the proposal.

The minister then stressed that the government and PPP maintain that they cannot accept the union’s call for the system’s expansion into other areas such as steel and automobile shipping and tanker trucking.

On the union’s plan to vote on ending the strike on Friday, Won said that he hopes the union members make a wise decision, but expressed regret that it comes only after the strike inflicted serious damage on the economy and inconvenienced people for 16 days, compelling the government to issue two return-to-work orders.

The minister emphasized that the government stands by its position that dialogue can take place only after the unionized truckers return to work, adding that the stance is firm.