South Korea general strike called off

Trades unionists in South Korea have called off a general strike just before it was due to start.

The announcement was made by the Korean Confederation of Trades Unions, which said a strike would be wrong while South Korea faces an economic crisis.

The strike was called after the government refused to renegotiate measures making it easier for firms to lay-off workers.

The threatened unrest had severely hit stockmarket and currency prices.

But the BBC Seoul Correspondent says the strike was attracting only limited support, with South Koreans coming to realise that the job-for-life culture is now dead.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service