South Korea's state-run electric power monopoly says it fire will more than 3,000 striking workers, who have defied a government imposed deadline to end their month-long work stoppage. 

In a joint statement, five affiliates of the Korea Electric Power Corporation, or KEPCO, said they will proceed with plans to dismiss workers who stayed off the job past a Monday morning deadline. 

The announcement came hours after thousands of South Korean riot police stormed the campus of Yonsei University in Seoul and dispersed more than 2,000 strikers who were staging a sit-in demonstration. Witnesses say up to 380 protesters were detained. 

The two-hour raid early Monday followed clashes that broke out Sunday when hundreds of student supporters hurled firebombs and rocks to keep police away from the protesting workers. 

Labor Minister Bang Yong-Suk had urged the workers to end their strike and return to work or face dismissal. However, union leader Lee Ho-Dong refused to back down. 

Since the workers are state employees, the South Korean government declared the strike illegal. The work stoppage began on February 25 as a protest against the privatization of the country's power sector, which workers fear could lead to large numbers of job cuts. 

About 190 power union leaders and activists have already been dismissed. But 5,000 power workers have remained on strike. 

Some information for this report provided by Reuters.

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