LORRY drivers striking for a minimum income guarantee to be extended as fuel bills soar could cause “irrecoverable” economic damage, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck Soo raged today.

The country’s number two politician after President Yoon Seok Youl railed against striking drivers for blocking cargo at SOuth Korea’s south-eastern ports, saying their “illicit activities” will never receive public support.

Mr Yoon is seen as an anti-union figure, having denounced trade unions as overpaid troublemakers during his election campaign. However, he denied having anything against unions after the strike began, asking: “How could anyone hostile to organised labour become a politician?”