Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Tuesday asked subway unions of Seoul and four other major cities to refrain from staging a planned walkout next week, saying it will seriously disrupt the public transportation service.

"The people will likely experience great inconvenience and disruption if subways' operation gets interrupted ahead of the fall harvest Chuseok holiday," Kim said during a Cabinet meeting held at the government office complex in Seoul.

This year's Chuseok holiday is set for Sept. 20-22.

The labor union of Seoul Metro, the operator of the Seoul subway system, has warned it will go on strike from Sept. 14 if the company does not withdraw its plan to lay off workers as part of restructuring measures.

Labor unions of the Incheon, Busan, Daegu and Daejeon metro operators have also pledged to join the strike.

"Every group has its own reasoning and difficulty, but I ask (the metro unions) to remember that subways essentially serve as the legs for the fatigued ordinary people," Kim said while asking the unions and management to engage in negotiations with open minds.

On the issue of hundreds of Afghan civilian evacuees currently sheltered in South Korea, Kim instructed the justice ministry and other related government offices to provide comprehensive support, such as those related to residence, employment and education.

Last month, South Korea evacuated nearly 400 Afghan co-workers and their family members under a military mission, codenamed Operation Miracle, as they faced possible Taliban threats for having supported foreign operations. (Yonhap)