The government is hearing from convenient store chains to come up with possible measures to help them adjust to the minimum wage hike. 

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said on Wednesday that a meeting was arranged early in the day between Moon Seung-wook, director general of the ministry, and the executives of six major convenient stores, including CU, GS25, 7-Eleven and Emart 24. 

According to the participants, the executives complained about their falling operating profit rates as a result of the minimum wage hike this year by 16-point-four percent. 

The five major convenient store chains’ operating profit rate last year ranged from one percent to four percent, but they fell to zero to one percent ranges in the first quarter of this year.