Small business owners filed an administrative suit against the Minister of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL), seeking to cancel next year's minimum wage notice.
The Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise (KFME) said on the 5th that it formed a plaintiff group of small business owners (legal representative: Law Office Roma, attorney Hwang Seong-hyeon) and on the 16th submitted a complaint to the Seoul Administrative Court seeking to cancel the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL)'s finalized and announced "minimum wage for 2027 (hourly 10,700 won)" notice.
The federation argued that the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) deviated from and abused its discretion by excluding industry-specific differentiation without fully considering small business owners' ability to pay.
The federation held a press conference in front of the Seoul Administrative Court on the day and strongly criticized the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) for rejecting on the 27th the objection to the 2027 minimum wage.
KFME Chair Song Chi-young said, "We filed a lawful objection to the Minimum Wage Commission's uniform 3.7% hike, but the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) mechanically dismissed it, turning a blind eye to the cries from the field," adding, "With the number of small business closures in the first half of this year at 624,000, a record high for a half-year, we condemn the government's irresponsible administration."
Song added, "The current minimum wage decision structure, which excluded industry-by-industry application and adopted a uniform increase, fails to reflect on-the-ground realities," arguing for a reform of the Minimum Wage Commission. He also urged the National Assembly and the government to prepare support measures for small businesses, including: ▲ abolishing weekly holiday allowances ▲ legislating biennial minimum wage decisions and industry-specific application ▲ reinstating the job stability subsidy.
The Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise (KFME) plans to continue legal action to improve the minimum wage decision system by concurrently pursuing a motion to request a constitutional review along with this administrative suit.