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| Hwang Kyo-ahn, chairman of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, speaks during a meeting with local business owners at the Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Busan, Wednesday. Yonhap |
By Jung Min-ho
Korea's opposition party leader has vowed to introduce a "different" minimum wage system for foreign workers.
Hwang Kyo-ahn, chairman of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP), said Wednesday he will press ahead with revising related laws to lighten small business owners' financial burden. He made the pledge at a meeting with employers in Busan.
Given "the different degrees of their contribution to Korea," he said, it is "not fair" to set the same minimum wage for Korean and foreign workers.
"Koreans contribute more to the country, for example, by paying more in taxes," Hwang said. "Our party will revise related laws to improve the situation (for employers)."
His remarks come amid complaints that steep minimum wage hikes over the past two years have pushed many small businesses to the edge.
But Article 6 of the Labor Standards Act stipulates that an employer cannot discriminate against workers on the basis of gender, nationality, religion and social status.
The International Labor Organization, a United Nations agency that aims to promote decent work throughout the world, is also opposed to discrimination among workers.
The soaring minimum wage has emerged as a hot-button issue over the past two years, with the Moon Jae-in government aggressively pushing its income-led growth strategy ― defined by rapid hikes in the minimum hourly wage and a shorter work week.
In 2018, Korea increased the minimum wage by 16.4 percent on-year to 7,530 won an hour, the steepest rise in 17 years. In 2019, the wage jumped 10.9 percent to 8,350 won ($7.10).
