People Power Party's Jo Jiyeon: "With Disabled Workers Earning 400,000 Won per Month, Minimum Wage Exemption for Severely Disabled Must Be Abolished"

Bill to Amend the Minimum Wage Act Proposed

Jo Ji-yeon, a member of the People Power Party representing Gyeongsan City, North Gyeongsang Province, sponsored a partial amendment to the Minimum Wage Act on April 20, Disability Day. The bill seeks to abolish the exemption of severely disabled persons from the minimum wage and to establish a legal basis for government support to reduce the resulting burden on employers.

Under current law, individuals with significantly reduced work capacity due to mental or physical disabilities may be exempted from the application of the minimum wage.

Joyeon Cho, Member of the People Power Party

However, there have been ongoing calls for improvement, as workers with severe disabilities who are exempted from the minimum wage are often left with excessively low wages. As of 2024, the average monthly wage for disabled workers is about 400,000 won, which is only about one-eighth of the overall workers' average and about one-fifth of the minimum wage. The United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has also recommended that Korea abolish its minimum wage exemption provisions.

Accordingly, the amendment deletes the provision that allows an exemption from the minimum wage based on disability, and establishes a basis for the government to provide partial support for the minimum wage to employers in order to mitigate potential job losses and increased corporate burdens resulting from the implementation of the new system.

Assemblywoman Jo stated, "The amendment guarantees the labor rights of people with severe disabilities, while also ensuring that the state shares the burden with companies," and added, "We will continue to establish a legal foundation so that disabled workers have broader employment opportunities and receive fair compensation."

Meanwhile, Assemblywoman Jo has also sponsored an amendment to the Special Education Act that adjusts the teacher-to-student ratio for infants and young children eligible for special education to 1:2 and 1:3, respectively, sets the ratio for elementary and middle school students at 1:4, and for high school students at 1:5. On April 15, she hosted a forum to discuss improvements to classroom operation standards to strengthen the educational rights of infants, young children, and students receiving special education, continuing her legislative efforts to protect the rights of people with disabilities.

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