The controversy surrounding a plan to reform the Government Employees Pension is spreading following a mass protest held near the National Assembly on Saturday. 

According to the organizers, more than 110,000 members of various labor unions including 60,000 belonging to the Korean Government Employees Union, which was declared unlawful earlier this year, participated in the rally. The protesters also included a large number of members of the teachers union that was also ruled unlawful, as well as legitimate government employees’ and teachers’ unions. 

The ruling Saenuri Party, which has proposed reform plans backed by all its lawmakers, called for talks, saying that the protest was “very regretful.” 

The ruling party followed up the statement on Sunday, appealing to the government employees to “share the pain” of the ailing economy. 

“Youth unemployment is overflowing, and irregular workers number more than 6 million. Employment (conditions) at companies undergoing restructuring is also very fragile,” Rep. Yoon Young-seok said. 

“(The Saenuri Party) is appealing to the government employees to participate in sharing the pain in consideration of the numerous common people who cannot even benefit from the National Pension.” 

He added that the ruling party will engage in dialogue with the public sector workers, and requested the opposition bloc’s cooperation. 

The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, for its part, is standing by its earlier position that the issue needs “social consensus” while admitting the need for a sweeping reform. 

Saying that the rally was an “obvious expression of opposition” to the fact that government employees were not included in the discussion that led to the reform plans, NPAD deputy spokesman Heo Young-il called for discussions. 

“If the grand compromise campaign suggested by chairman Kim Moo-sung is to have sincerity, the concerned parties (government employees) must be included in the discussions on government employee pension reform,” Huh said. In his address to the National Assembly on Oct. 30, Kim suggested launching a “grand compromise campaign for sharing pain,” as part of the attempt to ease social tension and stimulate the economy. 

“The ‘social negotiation group on public sector pension’ suggested by the government employees union and others is in line with the grand compromise campaign suggested by Kim.” 

The controversy has also brought in nonpolitical organizations.

While related labor organizations resist the plans, others have joined the controversy in support of the government.

The Korea Federation of Taxpayers held a rally of its own in central Seoul as the government employees’ protest was going on, claiming “more than 90 percent of the people are enraged” by the developments surrounding the public sector pension scheme. 

“Although the taxpayers lack the unity (achieved by the government employees) through collecting 20 billion won ($18.6 million) as protesting funds, it is time we, who pay the civil servants’ salaries, make our voice heard,” the federation’s representatives said.