KOREAN NET

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on Dec. 16 announced the minimum wage for ship workers next year at KRW 2,614,810. Shown are laborers about to head out to sea at a dock in Ongjin-gun County of Incheon. (Yonhap News)

By Kim Seon Ah

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on Dec. 16 announced the monthly minimum wage for ship workers next year at KRW 2,614,810.

The figure is 2.1% or KRW 53,780 higher than KRW 2,561,030 this year.

The wage applies to all staff on vessels whether on fishing or merchant ships.

The amount is KRW 518,540 higher than the minimum wage for general workers of KRW 2,096,270, which is up 1.72% compared to this year, as announced by the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

The minimum wage for general workers on land is announced by the Labor Ministry and that for ship workers by the Oceans Ministry based on the Seafarers Act.

The Oceans Ministry devised a government proposal after considering the need to improve working conditions on ships, consumer inflation next year and the economic outlook. It decided on the wage after consulting with a policy advisory committee.

Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Kang Do Hyung said, "We comprehensively considered the labor intensity of ship staff who work long hours at sea and the uncertainty of the shipping and fisheries industries when deciding on the pay hike to prevent real wages from falling."

"The government will strive to ensure that the industry's minimum wage is properly implemented on-site and keep consulting with labor and management organizations to improve working conditions in the sector."

sofiakim218@korea.kr