Small business owners have expressed their discontent with the hikes to the minimum wage, saying they are too steep for them to handle. 

During a meeting with Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon in Seoul’s Seodaemun district on Wednesday, small business owners in the area complained about the government’s decision to sharply increase the minimum wage and to reduce weekly working hours.

The minimum wage is set to rise by ten-point-nine percent in 2019 to reach eight-thousand-530 won, following on from this year’s 16-point-four percent increase, while maximum weekly working hours were cut from 68 to 52 in July.  

Oh Jong-hwan, the head of small business owners in the district, called the wage rise a slap in the face for those already facing difficulties. 

He also blamed the government for dismissing their call to raise the minimum wage for small businesses by a smaller margin than for larger companies.