*This content was translated by AI.
"Except for star players, everyone is left struggling before an uncertain future."
Im Min-hyuk (32), a politician and former professional soccer player in the K-League, argued that the state must establish a standard for calculating minimum compensation for professional athletes. He stated that if an appropriate recommended minimum wage standard is established and presented to professional sports organizations, each sport's governing body should make final decisions based on this framework to protect the rights of low-salary players and mitigate distortions in the player market.
On the 17th, Im Min-hyuk stated, "I visited the Democratic Party of Korea Jo Gye-won (Rep.) office and submitted a bill titled 'Partial Amendment to the Sports Industry Act for Establishing a Recommended Minimum Annual Salary Standard for Professional Sports.' This is a request to create standards that benefit not only the K-League but also professional sports as a whole."
According to explanatory materials submitted to the Lim Min-hyeok-i (Rep.) office, this proposal was made considering the obligation under the Basic Sports Act to protect players and guarantee their rights, necessitating the state to establish and recommend a standard for calculating minimum compensation for professional athletes. Article 10, Paragraph 1 of the Basic Sports Act stipulates that the national government and local governments must formulate and implement necessary policies to foster professional sports, including player protection, rights guarantees, and performance improvement.
The minimum annual salaries set by Korea's four major professional sports organizations vary significantly, ranging from 27 million won to 42 million won. The K-League has the lowest figure at 27 million won, set in 2024. Professional baseball will remain at 30 million won until this year and increase slightly to 33 million won starting next year. Professional volleyball is set at 40 million won for men's teams, and professional basketball at 42 million won. These minimum salaries were established through each organization's own regulations, bylaws, and board resolutions.
Im Min-hyuk explained, "Since each sport determines its minimum annual salary solely through its own regulations and board resolutions, there is no consistent standard for reflecting factors such as the minimum wage, inflation, or the duration of a player's career." He added, "Furthermore, considering occupational characteristics such as short athletic careers, constant training and game preparation, and risks of injury and early retirement, some sports' minimum salaries are criticized as being excessively low."
He further pointed out, "In the case of soccer, some semi-professional (K3·K4) clubs even offer treatment levels higher than the K-League's minimum annual salary contract. This creates a situation where players with potential to advance to the professional league choose lower-tier semi-professional leagues instead, distorting player movement structures."
In response, Im Min-hyuk argued that the 'Sports Industry Promotion Act' should be amended to establish a national-level recommended standard for appropriate minimum compensation for professional sports athletes. He stated that the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism must be given legal grounds to investigate and analyze players' salaries, contract conditions, career duration, training and game participation hours, and risks of injury and early retirement.
If the law is amended, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will consider investigation and analysis results along with minimum wage levels, inflation, and national consumption trends to establish a recommended standard for appropriate minimum compensation for professional athletes and present it to each professional sports organization. Based on these objective standards regularly provided by the Ministry, sport-specific organizations will make final decisions on minimum salaries, taking into account characteristics such as team size and financial conditions specific to each sport. Im Min-hyuk explained that establishing an objective minimum salary standard reflecting the occupational characteristics of professional athletes can protect the rights of low-salary players and is expected to mitigate distortions in the player market.
Through social media (SNS), he also stated, "The minimum annual salary for K-League players is 27 million won. Ironically, soccer players, who represent South Korea's premier sport and must accept high risks of injury, are subject to the lowest minimum salary." He noted, "Some may counter that bonuses make up the difference, bringing the total close to other levels, but even bonuses have a ceiling set by the league. Except for star players, everyone is left struggling before an uncertain future."
He continued, "While it could be said that ordinary people start their social lives with salaries around 27 million won, athletes are inevitably different from general workers due to occupational characteristics such as short careers, injury risks, constant training, and concerns over privacy infringement. What is needed is not special privilege but a standard of 'treat like things alike, and treat different things differently.' If the minimum salary issue is corrected, various side effects currently occurring in the K-League can also be resolved. Of course, alongside raising the minimum salary, issues such as excessive reliance on local government budgets by citizen-owned clubs and the roster system could also be discussed together," he emphasized.
Im Min-hyuk said, "Last July, you led the 'Press Conference of 100 People Supporting Soccer Reform' just before the hearing for the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee. As one member of the soccer community, that event was a great source of strength for me, and with the expectation that you would also show interest in improving the sports ecosystem, I cautiously proposed this 'plan to establish a recommended minimum compensation standard.' Fortunately, your office shared the purpose of the proposal and reviewed it positively, leading to today's visit." He added, "I cannot predict when, how far, or in what direction things will proceed. Nevertheless, as a player and coach, I will do everything possible to accomplish what is within my power and strive to create standards that allow athletes to receive the minimum guarantees commensurate with their profession."
<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>
*This content was translated by AI.
