hankyoreh

(Kang Chang-kwang/The Hankyoreh)

The hard hats of unknown workers sit stacked in front of Daewoo Engineering and Construction (Daewoo E&C) headquarters in Euljiro, a neighborhood of Seoul, caught in the cold drizzle on the final day of August. The notice’s message says Daewoo E&C’s decision to sell the company invalid, saying that they had openly pushed one buyer to the front, then selected them as the preferred bidder. Members of Daewoo E&C’s union placed their hardhats — symbols of workers’ joy, sorrow and sweat — and placed them in front of the company’s headquarters as a form of “avatar strike” without people present. Yet another scene unique to the pandemic era.

By Kang Chang-kwang, staff photographer

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