Six out of ten residents in Gyeonggi Province viewed the 2026 minimum wage (10,320 won per hour), which was determined through a tripartite agreement for the first time in 17 years, in a positive light. In contrast, the proportion of young people, women, and day laborers who withheld judgment or did not respond to the agreement was relatively high.
The Gyeonggi-do Lifelong Education Promotion Institute conducted an online survey titled "Demand for Minimum Wage Increase and Social Participation Policy" among 500 adults aged 19 and older in the province from July 30 to August 1. According to the results, 62.8% of respondents said, "This agreement is meaningful." By age group, those aged 60 to 79 (72.3%) responded most positively; by gender, men (69.2%); and by household income, those with an average monthly household income between 6.58 million and less than 11.88 million won (70.3%) showed higher positive responses.
On the other hand, among young people (aged 19 to 29, 36.4%), women (33.6%), and day laborers (34.5%), the rates of "not sure" or no response were higher.
This is interpreted as a result of differences in economic activity conditions, which lead to disparities in access to information and employment stability, affecting how people understand and trust social dialogue.
In a survey on experiences of "citizen participation," such as expressing opinions directly through forums, public hearings, or online surveys on social issues like the minimum wage, 80% of respondents answered that they had "never participated."
Status of Responses to the Minimum Wage Survey by Gyeonggi-do Lifelong Education Promotion Institute
This lack of participation experience was particularly notable among young people (84.4%), women (83.0%), those with lower educational attainment (88.3%), and the unemployed (84.1%).
When asked about their intention to participate in the future, 49.2% said they "intend to participate." The most preferred method of participation was "online discussions and surveys" (54.6%).
As for the education and information needed for citizen participation, "understanding labor rights and wage systems" (40.0%) and "methods for participating in public forums" (29.6%) were cited as important.
Oh Seok, President of the Gyeonggi-do Lifelong Education Promotion Institute, stated, "It is important to actually understand and feel the results of social dialogue, such as the minimum wage agreement, and further expand this into the capacity for direct participation. Through lifelong education, we will ensure that socially disadvantaged groups such as young people and women are not marginalized, and that all residents of the province have an equal foundation to participate in social dialogue."
The margin of error for this survey is ±4.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
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