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Ssangyong Motor union says to strike until Feb 24

SEOUL, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Unionised workers at South Korea's Ssangyong Motor Co plan to stage a strike every Wednesday until February 24 to oppose a planned sale to China National Blue Star Group, a union spokesman said on Thursday.

Creditors picked the Chinese chemical group as a preferred bidder to buy a controlling stake worth about $620 million in the sport utility vehicle maker last month.

"We've been asking creditors to meet us and talk but they have refused," a union spokesman said.

Ssangyong, which has capacity to produce 180,000 vehicles a year with a workforce of 7,500, was put up for sale after creditors took control of the debt-ridden firm in late 1999.

Ssangyong, which builds Rexton, Korando and Musso SUVs as well as deluxe Chairman passenger cars, competes with top auto maker Hyundai Motor Co , which controls 48 percent of the country's $18 billion auto market.

Blue Star's acquisition in South Korea would be the latest in a string of foreign acquisitions by Chinese state-owned firms looking to spend some of China's trade surplus to expand globally.

Blue Star is a state-owned conglomerate under the direct control of the Chinese central government. It mainly produces chemicals and has annual sales of more than 10 billion yuan, according to its Web site, www.china-bluestar.com.

Ssangyong shares were up 1.2 percent at 8,640 won, outperforming a 0.8 percent fall in the broader market .