South Korea's Korean Air will be forced to cancel 253, or 63 percent of its scheduled 399 flights Friday as its unionized pilots enter the second day of their strike.

Executives of the nation"s largest airline said 54, or 34 percent of 157 international flights, would be grounded Friday.

The strike is expected to suspend about 176 flights, or 83 percent of the 212 domestic flights, including ones departing from Kimpo to Cheju.

Twenty-three out of 30 international cargo flights will be called off.

They said that on Thursday, the first day of the walkout, the strike disrupted more than half of the carrier's domestic and international flights.

They said that the strike will not only interrupt the country's air traffic during the peak winter holiday season, but also deal a serious blow to the economy and the export industry.

The pilots launched a strike after their last-minute negotiations collapsed Wednesday over wage increases and working conditions, ending a dozen rounds of negotiations since Oct. 17.

Source: Agencies