The South Korean government said on Saturday it was trying to end a crippling strike by truckers that has severely hit operations at the country's major port of Busan. Transportation minister Chung Jong-Hwan met in the southern port with cargo owners and transport companies, and urged them to "engage actively in talks" with the union, the ministry said. "The representatives of management expressed their intention to do so as the root cause of the strike was the rise of diesel price," the ministry said in a statement. Prime Minister Han Seung-Soo also visited a cargo terminal in southern Seoul and met with cargo operators. Thousands of South Korean truckers went on strike Friday, demanding steps to cut energy costs or raise transport fees after the diesel price rose more than 30 percent since the beginning of this year.