Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has canceled his overseas business trip to respond to strikes planned by subway and railway workers later this week, the city government said Tuesday.

Oh's one-week business trip to India and Malaysia, scheduled to begin Wednesday, has been canceled as citizens are expected to be inconvenienced by walkouts by unionized KORAIL and Seoul Metro workers, set to begin Thursday and Friday, respectively, the government said in a release.

The union of KORAIL, the KTX and regular train operator plans to launch an indefinite strike Thursday to demand pay and staff increases, while unionized Seoul subway workers also plan to walk out the following day for similar reasons.

Oh's overseas trip was planned months in advance, and he was scheduled to meet with ranking Indian and Malaysian officials for discussions on various issues, including attracting foreign students, the government explained. (Yonhap)