Ruling Party Lawmaker Kim So-hee Proposes Bill for Differential Minimum Wage for Small Business Owners

People Power Party Rep. Kim So-hee proposed a revision to the Minimum Wage Act on the 15th that would apply different minimum wage rates based on business size and region to alleviate the burden on small business owners. Rep. Kim's legislative initiative stems from a critique of the current determination system, which sees annual minimum wage hikes without reflecting the realities faced by small businesses.

Criticizing the current system during a press conference at the National Assembly that day, she emphasized the necessity of differential application, arguing, "The current approach only results in increasing unbearable burdens every year while ignoring the right to survival of small business owners."

The core of the revision is to mandate the consideration of the 'employer's ability to pay' and 'impact on employment stability' in addition to the existing 'income distribution rate' criteria under the current law. The aim is to establish a legal basis for the differential application of minimum wages by business size and region, thereby supplementing the system to ensure small business owners face realistic wage burdens.