Daegu's 'Slave Wage' Policy: Can Korean Employers Really Skip Minimum Pay?

TL;DR — IN KOREAN VIBES

This post is going viral because it exposes a highly controversial local ordinance in Daegu that explicitly allows employers to bypass national minimum wage and labor laws. This direct challenge to fundamental worker protections has sparked outrage, especially among young workers.

주목할 점은 글로벌 미래특구에선 지방자치 조례에 따라

제 𝟲조 최저임금과 제 𝟱𝟬조 근로기준 노동법을 초월하여

돈을 안줘도 된다고 대놓고 명시해놨음ㅋㅋ

끝까지 철회할 생각이 없는 경북도청 ㅋㅋㅋ

덕분에 전국 광역시중 가장높은 𝗠𝘇세대 추노율을 보임

최소한의 노동인권 조차 안통하는 동네 ㅋㅋㅋ

🗣 KOREAN YOU JUST LEARNED

글로벌 미래특구

Global Future Special Zone

A specific economic zone designated by the government, often with special regulations to attract investment and foster development.

노예수당

slave wage

A highly critical and emotionally charged term used by Koreans to describe extremely low pay that is considered exploitative and barely enough for survival, akin to the wages of a slave.

추노율

chu-no-yul

Derived from 'chuno,' a historical term for slave hunters, 'chu-no-yul' is a modern internet slang referring to the high rate at which employees quickly quit or 'run away' from jobs due to extremely poor working conditions or low pay.

MZ세대

MZ generation

A demographic term in Korea referring to the combined Millennials (born early 1980s to early 2000s) and Generation Z (born mid-1990s to early 2010s). They are often characterized by their digital fluency, social awareness, and outspokenness.

HOW DID THIS HIT YOU?

🇰🇷 KOREAN REACTIONS 10

translated from the original Korean post

There was a Daegu 'gaebungi' (a derogatory term for a certain type of person) who actually asked why minimum wage *must* be paid ㅋㅋ

♥ 10

What's the last comment blabbering about, you bastard ㅋㅋ Just pay the minimum wage!

♥ 8

Not getting paid what you're owed isn't a problem?!

♥ 6

Even if you commit 'wage theft' for almost 20 years like it's nothing, you barely get arrested. They gaslight young part-timers and just don't pay. If some part-timers report to the labor office, they just deposit the money when a corrective order is issued, and that's it. It's not even wage theft because they eventually paid. On another note, as of 2024, Korea's unpaid wages are about 35 times Japan's, and 100 times when adjusted for the number of workers, lol.

♥ 4

Is Gotham a joke to you?! (referring to Daegu as a lawless place)

♥ 0

The mindset is weird, they just hire people without paying minimum wage from the start. Then if they get reported? They only pay minimum wage then, and it repeats. It seems like there are no disadvantages or sanctions for not paying minimum wage?

♥ 0

That minimum wage exception in the first pic is related to 'ol-geu-tteo' (a controversial political move) and even citizens in Daegu are cursing it out.

♥ 0

But I'm really curious, like the Gwangju Costco incident or Daegu's minimum wage, people living there say citizens are cursing it out, so why do those 'ygt' (another political slang, similar to 'ol-geu-tteo') bastards grit their teeth and only choose to do shitty things? How can people who live off votes only choose to do things that most voters dislike?

♥ 0

That place is a foreign country (implying Daegu is so different it's like another country)

♥ 1

10.

Daegu is really different.

♥ 1

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