Since the beginning of the Squid game on Netflix, it has gained huge popularity among people. Being a fictional show it is carried out too far and brought into reality. Thousands of union workers in Seoul are demanding job security.
About 80,000 members of the South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions in 13 different cities in South Korea went on strike, calling on the government to impose better working conditions for irregular workers and a hike in wages.
About 27,000 people gathered to protest, prompting local authorities to do the need of the hour.
Lim Yun Suk chief of a media firm tweeted that some union workers said, like the characters in the popular Korean survival drama, “they too are struggling to make a living.”
Several union workers dressed in #SquidGames outfit take part in a rally in #Seoul, saying just like in the movie they too are struggling to make a living. They called on the government to improve workers’ rights. Some reports say about 30,000 took part in the rally. pic.twitter.com/tus8vj9KeG
— LIM Yun Suk (@yunsukCNA) October 20, 2021
Thousands of union workers dressed in #SquidGame costumes to rally for job security in Seoul on Wednesday pic.twitter.com/Tnb0Jh86Kb
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) October 20, 2021
The crowd inspired by the Netflix series has captured global attention since debuting; centers on 456 adults on the brink of financial turbulence are invited to play children’s games to win 45 billion won, or about $40 million — but losing the games has deadly consequences.
The show hit too close to home for some in South Korea where workers work 44.6 h per week on average comparatively higher than the number of average weekly working hours (32.8). The rally became rager because of the country’s strict social distancing COVID-19 policies, which only allowed gatherings of up to eight people if the group includes four fully vaccinated people and up to 10 people in other regions.
All rallies are banned in Seoul and the greater Seoul area under the city’s tight social distancing measures. These rallies may pose threat as the Covid-19 may spread again. the government has to take effective measures before it’s too late.