Labor proposes 11,900 won, management 10,360 won; gap shrinks 140 won from initial proposals
![Ryu Ki-jung, executive vice president of the Korea Employers Federation, left, and Ryu Ki-seop, secretary-general of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and a worker representative on the panel, listen to remarks at the 10th plenary session of the Minimum Wage Commission at the Government Complex Sejong on Tuesday. The vote on next year's minimum wage again missed its legal deadline due to the gap between labor and management. [Yonhap]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/30/rcv.YNA.20260630.PYH2026063013870001301_P1.jpg)
Labor and management submitted their second revised minimum wage proposals Tuesday as deliberations over next year's rate continued.
Each side adjusted its position — labor by 100 won and management by 40 won — narrowing the gap from 1,680 won to 1,540 won. The two sides remain more than 1,500 won apart, making further compromise unavoidable.
According to the Minimum Wage Commission, the two sides submitted their second revised proposals during a closed session of the 10th plenary meeting held at the Government Complex Sejong on Tuesday. Labor proposed an hourly rate of 11,900 won ($8), a 15.3 percent increase from the current rate, while management proposed 10,360 won, a 0.4 percent increase.
Labor lowered its initial demand of 12,000 won by 100 won, while management raised its initial proposal — a freeze at 10,320 won — by 40 won. The gap between the two sides shrank by 140 won, from 1,680 won to 1,540 won.
In their first revised proposals, labor had offered 11,970 won and management 10,340 won, cutting the gap by 50 won to 1,630 won. In the second round, labor came down a further 70 won and management moved up 20 won, closing the gap by another 90 won.
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