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Commission under Labor Ministry to hold first meeting to set next year's minimum wage

Published: 21 Apr. 2026, 10:34

A banner shows this year's minimum wage, 10,320 won ($7.02), at a public employment center in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Jan. 2. [NEWS1]

The Minimum Wage Commission under the Ministry of Employment and Labor is set to hold the first of what will likely be many heated meetings on Tuesday to set the country's minimum wage for next year.

Korea's minimum hourly wage currently stands at 10,320 won ($7.02), up 2.9 percent from last year.

The labor sector is widely expected to request a steeper increase for next year, with both of the country's two major umbrella unions arguing for a hike, citing rising prices and declining real wages.

Businesses, on the other hand, will likely resist, having called for a wage freeze in their opening proposals for the past five years, according to market observers.

This year's review is also set to discuss whether a separate minimum wage should apply for piece-rate workers, such as delivery drivers, at Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon's request.

Such workers are paid by the work they perform and have been excluded from receiving the legal minimum wage.

The commission, which includes labor, business and public interest representatives, is required to submit its recommendation within 90 days of the labor minister's annual request — a deadline it has often failed to meet.

Yonhap