Prime Minister Jeong: "The Minimum Wage Is a Safety Net to Prevent the Deepening of Inequality"

Enforcement of the "Act on the Establishment and Operation of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials" Tomorrow... "Follow-up Legislation Must Be Achieved"

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-kyun (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on the 14th, "The minimum wage serves as a safeguard to prevent the deepening of inequality in our society, and it is even more important during the current crisis recovery process."

At the 36th Cabinet meeting held at the Government Sejong Complex on the same day, Prime Minister Chung stated, "The Minimum Wage Commission early this morning decided on next year's minimum wage at 8,720 won, a 1.5% increase from this year."

He explained, "The Minimum Wage Commission made a difficult decision by comprehensively considering the economic and employment conditions worsened by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the stability of workers' livelihoods, and the acceptance at the field level."

He added, "Just as in a three-legged race where a team falls if one member fails to keep pace, for our economy to overcome the shock of COVID-19 and run again, cooperation from both labor and management is essential," urging, "I hope both sides will each make concessions and work together as one team to overcome the crisis."

Furthermore, he emphasized, "The government will strengthen employment and social safety nets and support and back up struggling businesses and small merchants."

Prime Minister Chung also mentioned, "'The Act on the Establishment and Operation of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office' will come into effect tomorrow," adding, "The government launched the Preparatory Group for the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) in February, completed preparations for stable operations by revising related laws and securing office space."

However, he noted, "For the CIO to launch, the head of the office must be appointed, and for that, follow-up legislation must be passed by the National Assembly," appealing, "The recommendation of candidates and confirmation hearings are also the National Assembly's responsibility. I earnestly ask for the National Assembly's active cooperation so that the CIO can open its doors as soon as possible and start working for the people."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.