Today's Korean Minimum Wage in Yuan
Yuan Min. Wage Trend · 1994–Today
Quarterly avg + recent monthly + today live — peak 元53.31 → today 元45.00
Global Purchasing Power — What can Korean wages buy locally?
How far Korea's minimum wage (₩10,320) goes in each country — switch between local and Korea tabs to compare
1 Big Mac = 34 min of work
CN¥25.5 (China)
Purchasing Power — How long to buy one?
How many hours of minimum wage (2026 ₩10,320) to buy one item — tap a tab to switch
One bowl = 50 min of work
1 bowl = ₩8,654
Seoul dining avg ₩8,654 (2026, Korea Consumer Agency)
Hours needed over the years — Hours to afford one item per year — item price / hourly wage of that year
Breakdown — KRW Minimum Wage
Applied rate ₩229.32 / 元1Steps up once each January — never once cut (shown as a smooth trend)
Yuan Wage Rankings
Based on annual average FX rate — 1994–2025
▲ TOP 5Highest years
| Year | Yuan | KRW |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 元52.19 | ₩9,620 |
| 2024 | 元52.05 | ₩9,860 |
| 2025 | 元50.70 | ₩10,030 |
| 2020 | 元50.22 | ₩8,590 |
| 2019 | 元49.50 | ₩8,350 |
▼ BOTTOM 5Lowest years
| Year | Yuan | KRW |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 元9.00 | ₩1,525 |
| 1999 | 元11.14 | ₩1,600 |
| 1994 | 元11.63 | ₩1,085 |
| 1997 | 元12.96 | ₩1,485 |
| 2001 | 元13.47 | ₩2,100 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which year was Korea's minimum wage highest in Yuan?
2023, at 元52.19 — the highest ever. This is the Yuan-converted value, which factors in the exchange rate, not just the KRW wage.
Which year was Korea's minimum wage lowest in Yuan?
1998, at 元9.00 — the lowest on record. That's a year when the Yuan was strong or the KRW wage itself was small.
The KRW wage rose every year — did it always rise in Yuan too?
No — the KRW wage was raised every year, but exchange rates pushed the Yuan value below the prior year in 9 of them.
Has Korea's minimum wage ever been frozen or cut?
Never cut — it rose from 462.5 KRW in 1988 to 10,320 KRW in 2026 with no reduction, and was frozen only once (in 2009).
How many times the lowest is the highest year in Yuan?
About 5.8×. The same Korean minimum wage spreads this much in Yuan terms depending on the exchange rate.
How far back does the data go?
Since 1994 — 32 years of year-by-year converted values.
How many Big Macs can today's minimum wage buy in Beijing?
About 2.0 at the recent exchange rate — one hour of Korea's minimum wage divided by the local Big Mac price in Beijing.