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Seoul Joins Controversial Pilot Program for Hiring Foreign Domestic Workers Below Minimum Wage

Seoul Joins Controversial Pilot Program for Hiring Foreign Domestic Workers Below Minimum Wage

SEOUL, March 24 (Korea Bizwire) — The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced it will participate in a government-led pilot program allowing foreign domestic workers to be hired without the application of South Korea’s minimum wage law, sparking controversy over potential labor rights concerns. The initiative, jointly managed by Seoul City and the Ministry of Justice, aims [...]

South Korean Labor Groups Seek Minimum Wage for Gig and Freelance Workers

South Korean Labor Groups Seek Minimum Wage for Gig and Freelance Workers

SEJONG, May 22 (Korea Bizwire) – As South Korea’s minimum wage council begins deliberations this year to set the wage floor for 2025, labor representatives are pushing to extend minimum pay protections to gig workers and freelancers, a move that could upend compensation practices across a widening swath of the economy.  At the first plenary meeting [...]

Korea’s Minimum Wage Ranking Among OECD Nations Overstated, Critics Say

Korea’s Minimum Wage Ranking Among OECD Nations Overstated, Critics Say

SEOUL, May 14 (Korea Bizwire) – While official statistics appear to show South Korea’s minimum wage closing in on the average for developed economies, experts argue this effect is an illusion stemming from how the country calculates average wages compared to international standards.  According to a report on minimum wage trends and global comparisons released on [...]

Platform Workers Earned Less than Minimum Wage Last Year: Labor Group

Platform Workers Earned Less than Minimum Wage Last Year: Labor Group

SEOUL, Feb. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — Platform workers and cab drivers earned less than the minimum hourly wage last year, a labor group said Monday. The Federation of Korean Trade Unions conducted a survey of 600 platform laborers which showed that their monthly income jumped from 2,995,000 won (US$2,305) when social distancing measures were still [...]

12 pct of Small Business Employees Paid Less than Minimum Wage: Poll

12 pct of Small Business Employees Paid Less than Minimum Wage: Poll

SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — More than 1 in 10 individuals working at businesses with fewer than five employees are paid less than the minimum wage, a poll showed Monday. The Federation of Korean Trade Unions conducted a survey of 470 people working at small businesses with fewer than five employees, which showed that [...]

Civic Group Files Constitutional Petition Against Minimum Wage System

Civic Group Files Constitutional Petition Against Minimum Wage System

SEOUL, Aug. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — A civic group filed a constitutional petition against the state minimum wage system Friday, arguing that enforcing a compulsory minimum wage on employers violates their freedom of contract and business. The petition by the public labor union minimum wage response committee was filed with the Constitutional Court hours after [...]