▲ The average income of workers in South Korea rose 3.4%

The average income of wage earners in South Korea increased by 3.4 percent in 2018. South Koreans earned 3.97 million won per month on average in 2018, compared with 2.87 million won in 2017. According to the data, the male workers earn 3.47 million won, and the female workers earn 2.23 won in a month. Also, the average business hours decreased by about seven hours. However, the majority of workers actually do not feel an increase in wages. Also, 75 percent of wage earners said that it is insufficient to make ends meet for a month.

▲ Workers do not notice the increase of the wage

The gap between the statistics and the reality is actually serious. According to the job search sites, the permanent workers earn double than the temporary workers. Moreover, it takes an average of 15 years for a permanent worker to get five million won in a month. Also, it different from companies. It takes about 11.1 years in a major company, but in small and medium-sized enterprises, it takes about 15.3 years. Moreover, the people who earn more than five million won are just 12.4 percent of all the workers in South Korea, and there is a big gap between the field they work. The breaking industry workers earn the most, followed by the water work business, public administration, and the mining industry.

▲ South Korea`s difference in income between the various classes

The recently issued film, "Parasites" shows the gap between the rich and poor well. In this movie, the living space between rich and poor is well described. The rich family lives in a big house in a famous town, but the poor family lives in a semi-basement, being parasitic on the rich family. There is also a perception gap between rich and poor. The poor family does not feel any sense of guilt in stealing other people's things. However, the family shows a desire to become rich. The film became an issue because it shows the gap between the rich and poor frankly, which is not that different from our society. In South Korea, about then the percent of high-ranking people have 45 percent of the wealth. Also, the gap between median income and average income widened from 2.79 million won to 3.81 million won during the ten years.

Although the average income has increased, office workers actually feel that it is more difficult to make a living. It is important to ensure the right of workers, and sufficient compensation is needed. As the gap between the rich and the poor becomes serious, we need to make a healthy culture in the company.

Feb 9. 2020

By Eugene Jang