New Minimum Wage Commission Formed... Labor Sector Protests Over Public Interest Members

First Full Meeting on the 21st

On the 18th, the first plenary meeting of the Minimum Wage Commission held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, was disrupted as Chairman Park Junsik and other public interest members of the commission did not attend. Chairman Park and the public interest members refrained from attending the meeting, citing concerns over labor representatives holding placards urging for a minimum wage increase inside the meeting room. Photo by Yoon Dongju doso7@

The composition of the 13th Minimum Wage Commission, which will be responsible for deliberating next year's minimum wage, has been finalized. Among the public interest members, who play the 'casting vote' role in determining the minimum wage, is Professor Kwon Soon-won of Sookmyung Women's University, who served as the public interest member secretary in the 12th commission.

On the 12th, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that it had appointed a total of 26 new members, including 8 public interest members and 9 each of worker and employer members, replacing the members of the 12th Minimum Wage Commission whose terms ended on the 13th. The term of office is three years.

The Minimum Wage Commission consists of 27 members: 9 public interest members, 9 worker members, and 9 employer members. Among them, 26 members were appointed this time, excluding one public interest member (Ha Heon-je, standing member) whose term has not yet expired.

Among the Minimum Wage Commission members, the worker and employer members are recommended by the two major trade unions and key economic organizations, respectively, while the public interest members are appointed by the Minister of Labor according to criteria set forth in the Enforcement Decree of the Minimum Wage Act.

The 13th public interest members, appointed for the first time under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, include Professor Kwon Soon-won, Professor Kim Ki-seon of Chungnam National University, Professor Kim Su-wan of Kangnam University, Deputy Director Seong Jae-min of the Korea Labor Institute, Professor Ahn Ji-young of Ewha Womans University, Senior Researcher Oh Eun-jin of the Korean Women's Development Institute, Professor Lee In-jae of Incheon National University, and Professor Lee Jeong-min of Seoul National University.

Among them, Professor Kwon Soon-won and Researcher Oh Eun-jin also served as members of the 12th commission. In particular, Professor Kwon, who served as the public interest member secretary in the 12th commission, is expected to face opposition from labor groups regarding his reappointment, as he was a figure whose resignation was demanded by labor during the previous term.

Before last year's deliberations, labor groups argued that "an independent and neutral role as a public interest member cannot be expected from a member biased toward the government," citing that Member Kwon had served as the chair of the Future Labor Market Research Association, which drafted the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's labor reform blueprint, including working hours restructuring.

Last year’s deliberations were disrupted from the start when public interest members did not attend the first plenary meeting amid labor protests demanding Member Kwon's resignation.

If conflicts over the composition of public interest members escalate again this year, discussions on the minimum wage may face difficulties from the outset.

Regarding the list of the 13th public interest members, Lee Ji-hyun, spokesperson for the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), said, "More than half are professors of business and economics, and professors who have held government-biased positions are also included. It is very regrettable that Professor Kwon, who has shown overt pro-management bias in past minimum wage deliberations, is included again."

Jeon Ho-il, spokesperson for the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), also stated, "Most are conservative economists, and many participated in the Future Labor Market Research Association and the Win-Win Wage Committee, which designed anti-labor government policies." He particularly demanded, "The appointment of Member Kwon Soon-won must be immediately canceled."

Next year's minimum wage deliberations will officially begin at the first plenary meeting on the 21st.

With the current minimum wage at 9,860 won per hour, attention is focused on whether it will exceed 10,000 won for the first time next year. The business sector's demand for sector-specific application is expected to continue this year, making it a hotly contested issue.

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