Labor unions stage strikes over minimum wage for 2018
The Minimum Wage Council’s 8th plenary meeting on 5 July involved discussions on whether to apply different minimum wage levels by the type of business. A vote decided that this would not occur in 2018.
<First Proposal for Minimum Wage 2018>
| Employer representatives | KRW 6,625 (2.4%p increase) |
| Workers representatives | KRW 10,000 (54.6%p increase) |
Meanwhile, workers held protests demanding a minimum wage of KRW 10,000 in front of the Korea Employers Federation on 4 and 5 July. After this, labor groups staged a rally in central Seoul and the government complex in Sejong, demanding that the minimum wage be raised to KRW 10,000 this year.
On 15 July, the minimum wage for next year has been set at KRW 7,530, a jump of over 16 percent from this year. The Minimum Wage Commission submitted the minimum wage decision for 2018 to the Minister of Employment and Labor and the Labor Minister will make it public on August 5 after 20 days of objection and re-deliberation period.