Lee Geun-ho, president of the Korea Professional Football Players Association, raised the issue of raising the minimum annual salary for new players as the first task of the new year.
Chairman Lee Geun-ho said, “Last year, I was busy visiting the clubs, holding a seminar on the development of players’ human rights, hosting the June Patriots and Patriots Month campaign event, one-day class, charity game event, and even the regular general meeting, so the year passed quickly like water. In 2023, too. The Athletes Association wants to run without rest as there is a lot of work to do. Among them, the most important issue is the increase in the minimum annual salary for new players.”
The issue of the minimum annual salary for new players has been a very important issue for the Athletes Association. Yeom Ki-hoon, vice chairman, said, “I received a lot of complaints about the minimum annual salary for new players in professional football. I found out that the minimum hourly wage was 6,030 won when free contracts were first introduced in 2016. At that time, the minimum annual salary for new players has continued. As of 2017, the minimum hourly wage has risen by about 65% to 9,620 won, but the players’ salaries are still at a standstill.”
Currently, based on 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week as of 2023, approximately 2 million won per month including weekly holiday pay. He receives an annual salary of 24,126,960 won. Currently, rookie players receive the same wages as the minimum wage set by the Ministry of Employment and Labor.
As the working type is not 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, in reality, soccer players are continuing their careers with an annual salary lower than the minimum.
This amount is less than the minimum hourly wage, and the Athletes Association intends to seriously review the issue of the minimum annual salary, which does not match current prices. Yeom Ki-hoon, vice chairman, said, “It’s really unfortunate that players who are just starting out in society are receiving money that they can’t even live on. I think it is,” he said. 온라인바카라
The Secretary General of the Athletes Association Kim Hoon-gi said, “In the case of professional baseball, which was reported in the article that the salary polarization is severe, the minimum annual salary is 30 million won, in the case of professional basketball, 35 million won, and in professional volleyball, 40 million won, which is different from professional soccer. The quality of the league I think the time has come when we need a fundamental solution to improve the treatment of low-wage players in order not to cause a decline.”
In addition, President Kim said, “Therefore, the Athletes’ Association plans to hold a meeting with the Federation Secretariat and the Athletes Association considering improving the treatment of low-salary players as a top priority. It’s even a situation that has spread. The reality is that there is a lot of talk about the fundamental minimum wage after being saturated in the media.”
In addition, President Kim said, “The current minimum wage, which does not match the price, is inevitably creating an environment in which players cannot concentrate on sports and morale decreases. We plan to gather related materials and hold the first meeting in 2023.”
The current position of the Athletes Association is that a minimum wage increase is absolutely necessary to protect the rights of players. We are collecting opinions to make a good conclusion by gathering the opinions of all players.
Meanwhile, the Athletes’ Association plans to hold its first meeting in 2023 by gathering the opinions of players and gathering related data.