Labor groups demanded an hourly minimum wage of 12,000 won for next year. That is a 16.3% increase from this year.
On the 15th, the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) held a press conference in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Jongno District, Seoul, and said, "The minimum wage is a lifeline for low-wage workers and a yardstick that measures equality and justice in our society," as they made the announcement. Every year, labor groups propose the following year's minimum wage level when the plenary session of the Minimum Wage Commission is held, and this demand is part of that.
The two umbrella unions demanded an hourly wage of 12,000 won, or 2,508,000 won based on a 209-hour work month. That is a 16.3% increase from this year's minimum wage (10,320 won).
The two umbrella unions said, "Over the past three years (2023–2025), the average minimum wage increase rate was 2.37%," and added, "During the same period, it was lower than the average inflation rate of 2.66%, causing real wages for low-wage workers to fall." They continued, "For 2025, the Minimum Wage Commission's reference cost of living is 2,754,000 won per month," and said, "The monthly converted amount of the minimum wage is only about 2,150,000 won, failing to properly reflect the cost of living."
On an hourly basis, the year-over-year increase rates of the minimum wage over the past five years are 5.05% in 2022, 5% in 2023, 2.5% in 2024, 1.7% in 2025, and 2.9% in 2026. The Minimum Wage Commission plans to hold its sixth plenary session on the 16th and continue discussions to decide the minimum wage level for next year.