South Korea announced on Tuesday (July 13) that it plans to boost the national minimum hourly pay for 2022 at the fastest rate in three years, citing the economy’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Minimum Wage Commission decided on a 5.1 percent raise to 9,160 won (US$8.02) per hour for next year, substantially more than the 1.5 percent increase this year.
Since labor-friendly President Moon Jae-in entered office in 2017, the hourly minimum wage has risen by 41.6 percent.
READ: Thousands of South Korean workers rally in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak in Seoul
Thousands of South Korean employees organized a march in downtown Seoul earlier this month to demand improved working conditions.
Marchers wearing masks stopped some of the main streets in Jongno’s downtown district, waving placards that read: “”Let’s go!” and “Stop restructuring!” A general strike has been declared! “Yonhap News Agency’s footage was shown.
On Saturday, July 3, 2021, workers conduct a rally in Seoul, South Korea, demanding job security. Thousands of employees defied the government’s demand to call off the rally, fearing it would jeopardize the fight against COVID-19. (Photo courtesy of Ahn Young-joon/AP)
The rally, which gathered up to 8,000 people according to a union, supported requests for salary increases and safety measures.
Officials in South Korea had denied permission for the protest, citing a rise in COVID-19 infections caused by the extremely virulent Delta strain of the coronavirus./n
