The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU) launched a general strike on Wednesday as planned and will hold massive demonstrations across the nation later in the day.

The major umbrella labor group demands a solution to worsened inequality and polarization resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. It is pushing the government to scrap irregular employment as well as make sure there are jobs for laborers during the industrial transition.

The group, considered the more militant of the nation's two main labor organizations, is also seeking a guarantee of all laborers’ rights to union activities, education, housing, transportation and medical services.

The confederation initially said that around half of its one-point-one million members will take part in the strike, but the actual turnout is likely to be smaller. 

From 2 p.m. Wednesday, the KCTU will simultaneously hold rallies in 14 locations around the country, including in Seoul. The union expects some 80-thousand members to take part. The government has called the rallies illegal and vowed to crack down on any quarantine violations.