62% of Office Workers Say "Minimum Wage Should Be at Least 12,000 Won" ... Equivalent to 2.7 Million Won Per Month

Survey of 1,000 Office Workers by Civic Group

According to a survey by a civic group, 6 out of 10 office workers believe that the appropriate minimum wage for next year should be at least 12,000 won per hour.

On May 31, the civic group Workplace Gabjil 119 released the results of a “statutory minimum wage” survey conducted by Global Research, a polling agency, commissioned between February 2 and 8. The survey targeted 1,000 office workers aged 19 or older nationwide.

According to the results, 62.3% of respondents said the appropriate minimum wage for 2027 should be at least 2.51 million won per month (12,000 won per hour). Among them, 30.3% answered that it should be at least 2.71 million won per month (13,000 won per hour). Regarding this, Workplace Gabjil 119 explained, “A majority of office workers are demanding a minimum 16% increase compared to the current minimum wage of 10,320 won.”

Many respondents also called for more aggressive increases, as seen in overseas examples. When asked whether the minimum wage hike policy proposed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in the United States in 2020—setting the hourly minimum wage at $30 (around 45,000 won)—should be considered for Korean society, 62.1% of respondents said it was “necessary.”

The survey also found that 72.6% of respondents believe the statutory minimum wage should be applied to all workers, including those in special employment, platform workers, and freelancers.

On the 26th, the 2nd plenary meeting was held at the Minimum Wage Commission in the Government Sejong Complex, Sejong City. Photo by Yonhap News

When asked whether the current minimum wage guarantees a decent life and allows for future planning, more than half of respondents—59.5%—answered “no.” Such responses were relatively higher among non-regular workers (64%), non-union members (60.9%), non-office workers (63.4%), employees at businesses with fewer than five people (62.3%), and general staff-level employees (65.8%). By age, those in their 30s (60.9%) and 50s (64.3%) most frequently responded that it does not guarantee these things.

When asked whether the minimum wage sufficiently reflects the inflation rate and economic growth rate, 52.3% responded “it does,” while 47.7% said “it does not,” showing a divided opinion.

Bohwa Choi, labor attorney at Workplace Gabjil 119, emphasized, “Many workers believe the minimum wage is not keeping up with price and economic levels and is insufficient for a decent life. Discussions on the minimum wage should focus on guaranteeing workers’ right to survival, alleviating inequality, and strengthening the social safety net.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.