Politics · South Korea · 1 day ago
South Korea party criticizes minister’s remarks on sector-based minimum wages
South Korea’s Rebuilding Korea Party criticized Small and Medium Business Minister Lee So-young over her remarks on minimum wages.
Lee, a member of the Democratic Party, said during a parliamentary audit that applying different minimum wages by industry needed consideration.
In June, the Minimum Wage Commission voted on whether to set different rates by industry for next year.
The proposal failed, with 14 votes against, 11 in favor and one invalid vote.
The Rebuilding Korea Party said bringing it up again could weaken the purpose of the minimum wage and entrench low pay.
It also warned that different rates could disadvantage women and young workers, who it said make up a large share of vulnerable workers.
The party called on the government and the ministry to drop the proposal.
The Rebuilding Korea Party criticized Small and Medium Business Minister Lee So-young for saying that sector-specific minimum wages require consideration.
Lee made the remark during a parliamentary audit, according to Yonhap.
The party’s labor committee said the proposal had already been rejected by the legally established Minimum Wage Commission through social consensus.
The commission voted in June on whether to apply different minimum wages by sector, rejecting the proposal by 14 votes to 11, with one invalid vote.
The party argued that sector-specific rates could institutionalize discrimination and entrench low wages, particularly harming women and young workers.
- Who
- Rebuilding Korea Party and Small and Medium Business Minister Lee So-young
- What
- The party criticized Lee’s remarks that sector-specific minimum wages merit consideration.
- When
- October 10, 2026
- Where
- South Korea
- Why
- The party said differentiated minimum wages could undermine the purpose of the minimum wage system, institutionalize worker discrimination and entrench low pay.
Rebuilding Korea Party
Lee So-young
Whether sector-specific rates should be considered
Rebuilding Korea Party
The party called Lee’s remarks a step backward and urged the government to abandon the idea.
Lee So-young
Lee said during a parliamentary audit that applying different minimum wages by sector was something that needed consideration.
Potential effects of differentiated rates
Rebuilding Korea Party
The party said differentiated rates would institutionalize discrimination, entrench low wages and disproportionately disadvantage women and young workers.
Lee So-young
The articles do not report Lee’s view on the potential effects.
최저임금 차등적용은 결국 노동자 간 차별을 제도화하고 저임금을 고착화할 뿐
고민이 필요하다
The Minimum Wage Commission rejected sector-specific minimum wages in a vote of 14 against, 11 in favor and one invalid vote.
Lee’s remarks during a parliamentary audit drew criticism from the Rebuilding Korea Party.
- Minister
- Lee So-young, head of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups
- Commission vote
- 14 against, 11 in favor, one invalid vote
- Vote timing
- June 2026
- Party criticism
- The Rebuilding Korea Party described the remarks as a step backward.
Sources
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