KCTU Gyeongnam Headquarters: "Even with Work, Life Is in Deficit?Minimum Wage Must Be Raised"

The Gyeongnam Headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions has called for the minimum wage to be adjusted to a level that guarantees a living wage.

On May 12, the headquarters held a press conference at the Gyeongnam Provincial Government Press Center to announce the 2025 Gyeongnam minimum wage campaign and made this statement.

The organization stated, "We are facing a triple crisis: domestic political instability due to the aftermath of martial law and impeachment, tariff wars initiated by Trump, and issues related to exchange rates and trade," and argued, "It is necessary to deliberate on the minimum wage to be applied in 2026."

They presented the Minimum Wage Commission's report analyzing the actual living expenses of single, unmarried workers, saying, "In 2023, the average monthly living cost for a single worker was 2,459,769 won, but when factoring in the 2024 economic growth rate and inflation, it is clear that the living cost in 2025 will far exceed 2.5 million won."

They further emphasized, "The monthly wage based on the 2025 minimum wage is 2,096,270 won," and added, "Even with work, people are living in deficit. This must change."

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Gyeongnam Headquarters is holding a press conference at the Gyeongnam Provincial Government Press Center to announce the fight for the minimum wage. Photo by Lee Seryoung

The headquarters stated, "The minimum wage must be raised to a level that guarantees a living wage, and the scope of application should be expanded so that workers in special employment and platform sectors, who are currently in the blind spots of minimum wage coverage, can also receive the minimum wage."

They also demanded the implementation of expanded fiscal policies, such as increased support for the Job Stability Fund for small business owners and the provision of local gift certificates, as well as institutional improvements to protect neighborhood businesses and guarantee the collective bargaining rights of franchise and agency workers.

They collectively stated, "A new world we must create is one where people can live without going into debt even on the minimum wage, where special employment and platform workers can also receive the minimum wage, where disabled workers are not discriminated against and receive the minimum wage, where there is no abuse of power by monopolistic capital, and where small and medium-sized enterprises, small business owners, and farmers can live with a smile."

Kim Eunhyeong, head of the headquarters, said, "Everything except workers' wages is rising?how are ordinary people supposed to survive?" and stressed, "The minimum wage must be raised in accordance with the system guaranteed by the Constitution."

She added, "The way to overcome the difficulties faced by small business owners is not to set the minimum wage at a level that only allows workers and youth to barely scrape by, but to implement fiscal policies to support small business owners and to improve systems that protect neighborhood businesses from the abuses of monopolistic capital."