FKTU holds rally outside Ministry of Employment and Labor

Labor bloc calls for hourly minimum wage of 12,000 won

Yun Yeong-hui, chairwoman of the Valeo Service union under the Korea Metal Workers' Federation, delivers a speech at a rally Thursday organized by the Federation of Korean Trade Unions outside the Ministry of Employment and Labor at the Sejong Government Complex, calling for a minimum wage increase. [Photo by Kim Yong-hun]
Yun Yeong-hui, chairwoman of the Valeo Service union under the Korea Metal Workers' Federation, delivers a speech at a rally Thursday organized by the Federation of Korean Trade Unions outside the Ministry of Employment and Labor at the Sejong Government Complex, calling for a minimum wage increase. [Photo by Kim Yong-hun]

"The minimum wage is not a number — it is survival."

Yun Yeong-hui, chairwoman of the Valeo Service union under the Korea Metal Workers' Federation, made the appeal Thursday at a rally held by the Federation of Korean Trade Unions outside the Ministry of Employment and Labor at the Sejong Government Complex, warning that rising prices were pushing low-wage workers to the brink.

The FKTU held the rally under the banner "A better life for all workers — raise the minimum wage!" urging an increase in the minimum wage to take effect in 2027. Participants chanted slogans including "Everything has gone up except our paychecks" and "Raise the minimum wage," calling for a higher floor to protect the livelihoods of low-wage workers.

Yun struggled to hold back tears as she described the hardships facing minimum-wage workers. The crowd encouraged her with applause as she continued her speech.

Labor groups say years of high inflation and rising living costs have sharply eroded the real wages of minimum-wage workers. The FKTU said the minimum wage is "the last safety net protecting the livelihoods of low-wage workers" and must be raised "to a level that guarantees a life of dignity."

At the eighth plenary session of the Minimum Wage Commission, worker representatives put forward an initial proposal of 12,000 won ($8) per hour for next year — a 16.3 percent increase from this year's minimum wage of 10,320 won per hour. Employer representatives countered by proposing to keep the rate unchanged at 10,320 won, leaving an initial gap of 1,680 won per hour between the two sides.

Meanwhile, the commission held its ninth plenary session Thursday at the Sejong Government Complex, where the two sides were expected to begin narrowing that gap. However, the wide difference in positions over the size of any increase is expected to make for a difficult round of negotiations.


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