South Korean truck drivers stage an eighth day of protests over wages and rising fuel costs, further snarling global supply chains with a strike that officials say has caused more than $1 billion in losses. The industrial action has disrupted shipments and production for the crucial steel, petrochemical and automobile sectors, in an early test for new President Yoon Suk-yeol who has vowed to deal with labour disputes "strictly". South Korea is the world's largest memory chip exporter and home to global chip powerhouse Samsung Electronics, as well as large car companies including Kia and Hyundai Motors. But the truckers say they are desperate due to sharp rises in fuel prices -- with inflation at its highest level in over a decade. They are also protesting against the ending of a minimum wage guarantee. The policy, which expires later this year, helps truckers to avoid feeling constantly "pressed for time," which can lead to mistakes, said striker Lee Seung-ho. "That way of operating is what leads to overwork and accidents," he told AFP at a protest site in Incheon Tuesday. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES