Namyangju Sets 2026 Living Wage at 11,400 Won, 1,080 Won Above Minimum Wage

Namyangju City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor: Joo Kwangdeok) held the Living Wage Committee meeting on the 18th at Mokminbang in City Hall and set the living wage for 2026 at 11,400 won per hour.

Namyangju City held the Living Wage Committee meeting on the 18th at Mokminbang in City Hall. Photo by Namyangju City

The living wage system is designed to supplement the minimum wage for workers employed by the city, ensuring they receive a fair living wage and aiming to enhance workers' livelihood stability and quality of life. The city convenes the committee annually to review and decide on the living wage for the following year.

The committee is chaired by Vice Mayor Hong Jisun and consists of 10 members, including City Councilor Park Yunok, relevant city officials, and subject matter experts. The committee reached a professional decision based on objective data review and discussion.

This year, the committee reflected recent increases in consumer prices, real wage levels, and the minimum wage growth rate, and ultimately approved an hourly living wage of 11,400 won-an increase of 1.8% compared to this year's living wage (11,200 won). This amount is 1,080 won higher than the 2026 minimum wage (10,320 won) announced by the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

When converted to a monthly wage (based on a 40-hour workweek and 209 hours per month), the 2026 living wage amounts to 2,382,600 won, which is 41,800 won higher than this year's monthly living wage (2,340,800 won).

The increased living wage will be officially announced by September 15 and is expected to be applied to approximately 800 fixed-term workers employed by the city starting in January 2026.

Vice Mayor Hong Jisun stated, "Taking into account the burden on citizens caused by rising prices, the city will set the living wage rationally and do its utmost to improve the quality of life for workers."

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