Discussions on the minimum wage for next year will begin in earnest Tuesday. 

The Minimum Wage Commission will convene its first plenary session on Tuesday at the government complex in Sejong to discuss next year’s rate.

The 27-member tripartite commission consists of nine members representing the business community, nine representing labor and nine representing the general public.

The legal deadline to decide the 2026 minimum wage is June 29. 

Last year the minimum wage for 2025 was set at ten-thousand-30 won per hour, up one-point-seven percent from the previous year, the second-lowest hike ever. 

So far there have been no specific proposals for next year either from labor or management, but the labor movement is calling for an increase in light of rising prices and declining real wages, while management is expected to push for a freeze.