South Korea's Minimum Wage Committee Elects New Chair Amidst Labor Protest

The Minimum Wage Committee in South Korea began its deliberations for the next year's minimum wage with immediate controversy, as labor representatives staged a walkout during the election of its new chairperson. Kwun Soon-won, a professor at Sookmyung Women's University, was elected chair, but the decision was immediately challenged by the labor union.

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The determination of the minimum wage cannot be completed by the position of one side. This year, careful deliberation and review are needed on whether to separately apply the minimum wage to contract workers.

Lee Mi-seon, a vice chairwoman from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), vehemently opposed Kwun's appointment. She accused him of undermining fairness during his tenure as the committee's secretary under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, alleging his influence led to lower wage increase rates. Furthermore, Lee criticized Kwun for his role in the Future Labor Market Research Council, which she claimed justified a 69-hour workweek. "How can we expect good results when trust is broken from the very election of the chairman?" she questioned, highlighting the deep divisions within the committee.

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Kwon, as the secretary of the Minimum Wage Committee under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, has undermined fairness with his unilateral operations and played a role in deciding very low wage increase rates.

Kwun Soon-won, in his acceptance speech, called for dialogue and compromise, acknowledging that "the determination of the minimum wage cannot be completed by the position of one side." He stressed the need for careful deliberation on issues such as the separate application of the minimum wage for contract workers. This year's key debate point is whether to apply the minimum wage to contract and similar forms of employment, a demand persistently raised by labor groups seeking to guarantee basic rights for special employment and platform workers who are not formally recognized as 'workers' under the Labor Standards Act. The committee faces a legal deadline at the end of June to reach a decision, with the outcome carrying significant implications for South Korea's labor market.

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Kwon justified long working hours of 69 hours per week as the head of the Future Labor Market Research Council. How can we expect good results when trust is broken from the very election of the chairman?