The Minimum Wage Commission voted 15-11 against applying a separate minimum wage to piecework workers, with one invalid ballot, pushing deliberations toward sector-based differentiation for 2027.

Minimum Wage Commission Chairman Kwon Soon-won presides over the fifth plenary session at the Government Sejong Building on Thursday. [Yonhap]
Minimum Wage Commission Chairman Kwon Soon-won presides over the fifth plenary session at the Government Sejong Building on Thursday. [Yonhap]

A proposal to extend minimum wage protections to delivery couriers, food-delivery riders, private tutors and other gig and platform workers has ultimately failed.

At its fifth plenary session Thursday at the Government Sejong Building, the Minimum Wage Commission voted on whether to apply a separate minimum wage to piecework workers for 2027 and rejected the measure.

[Provided by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' Public Transport Workers' Union]
[Provided by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' Public Transport Workers' Union]

The vote was 11 in favor, 15 against and one invalid ballot.

As a result, the 2027 minimum wage will continue to apply only to workers covered under the Labor Standards Act. Delivery couriers, food-delivery riders, designated drivers, private tutors and other gig and platform workers will not be subject to a separate minimum wage standard.

With the piecework question resolved, the commission will now turn to deliberations on whether to apply differentiated rates by industry and on setting the overall minimum wage level for 2027.

Business groups are pushing for differentiated rates by industry in sectors such as restaurants and lodging, while labor groups are firmly opposed, signaling that contentious debate will continue through the remaining sessions.

Meanwhile, the current minimum wage stands at 10,320 won ($7) per hour. The commission must finalize next year's rate by the end of this month, but with labor and management far apart, deliberations could extend into July.

The sixth plenary session is scheduled for Monday at the Government Sejong Building.


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