Choi Im-won Chairman "Regret over Failure of Labor-Management Agreement... Hope for Institutional Reform Discussions"

Minimum Wage for Next Year Set at 10,030 Won

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Lee In-jae, chairman of the Minimum Wage Commission, expressed regret on the 12th that next year's minimum wage was not decided through a smooth consensus between labor and management. This year, during the deliberation process, a unprecedented situation occurred where labor and management clashed over major issues such as sector-specific differential application, even resulting in physical confrontations.

Chairman Lee said at a briefing after the deliberations ended, "Although the proposals from both sides were very close at the end, no agreement was reached," adding, "It is regrettable that there was a physical clash related to the sector-specific differential application (vote) as discussions overheated."

On the 2nd, during the full meeting of the Minimum Wage Commission, some labor representatives who tried to block the vote on the sector-specific differential application demanded by the business sector seized the gavel and tore up the ballots.

This year marks the first time since the Minimum Wage Commission began seriously addressing sector-specific differential application in 2016 that labor and management clashed and physical force was used during the voting process.

After the clash, Kwon Soon-won, a public interest committee member and professor at Sookmyung Women's University, said, "This incident shakes the foundation of the minimum wage system and reveals its limitations," urging, "Please seek fundamental institutional improvements to prevent similar incidents from occurring."

Chairman Lee, who has researched ways to improve the minimum wage system, said, "My basic view is that the current decision-making system has some limitations in advancing rational and productive discussions."

He added, "Personally, I hope that in-depth discussions and follow-up measures on system reform will be led by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. However, as chairman, I will do my best within the given system to ensure the minimum wage is decided."

Professor Kwon also added, "We will naturally fulfill our roles within the given system and have recommended that the government seek improvements to the system going forward."

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