청 "Respecting the Minimum Wage Commission's Decision... Difficult Decision Despite Large Differences in Opinion"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The Blue House stated that it "respects the decision of the Minimum Wage Commission" regarding the commission's decision the previous day to raise next year's minimum wage by 5.1% from the previous year to 9,160 won.

A Blue House official said in a Q&A session with reporters on the 13th, "It is a comprehensive consideration of domestic and international economic conditions, employment situation, and the circumstances of small business owners and low-wage workers."

The official added, "Despite the prolonged difficulties caused by COVID-19, the heightened uncertainty, and the larger-than-usual differences in opinions between labor and management, we highly appreciate that labor, management, and public interest commissioners did their best until the very end to make a difficult decision on next year's minimum wage proposal." He continued, "We hope that labor, management, and government will unite as one to participate in and join forces for structural transformation aimed at overcoming the economic crisis, achieving inclusive recovery, and advancing to a leading nation."

When asked about the government's position on Japan's claim of sovereignty over Dokdo in its defense white paper, the official said, "The government's official position will be announced at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' regular briefing this afternoon," adding, "Separately, I understand that at 11 a.m., the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the political counselor of the Embassy in Korea, and at 11:30 a.m., the Ministry of National Defense summoned the military attach?."

Regarding whether former Blue House Civil Affairs Secretary Lee Kwang-chul participated in the personnel screening process of Deputy Minister of Justice Kang Sung-guk, the official said, "We cannot confirm details about the personnel screening process," but added, "As far as I know, personnel screening is not under the jurisdiction of the Civil Affairs Secretary's office."

A Blue House official emphasized the COVID-19 quarantine measures, saying, "Without lockdowns, we are taking the strongest possible measures to heighten vigilance to the highest level and are making every effort to resolve the situation quickly and decisively," adding, "We are cooperating with local governments in the metropolitan area to cut off the spread early, and we are approaching this with an extraordinary determination that there is no room to retreat."

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