61 temporary agency workers are currently working at the National Gugak Center for the daily tasks of cleaning service, facility maintenance and security guard. Security guards are paid with 6.170 won(US$5.46 ) per hour, and cleaning service workers with 6,250 won(US$5.52) and facility maintenance workers with 6,300 won(US$5.57) which are lower than the statutory minimum wage of 6,470 won(US$5.72) per hour.
The service outsourcing budget problem repeated every year since 2015. The National Gugak Center submitted the Government the 2017 budget with the increase of 20% to resolve the problem of unpaid wages and the violation of the Minimum Wage Act, but the Ministry of Strategy and Finance froze the budget as the same level of 2016 which led to the wage freeze of the temporary agency workers.
reported by Yoon Ja-eun
translated by Kim Sung-jin