S. Korea's median income for family of 4 set at W6.5m, up 6% from 2025

People shop for groceries at a market in Seoul on Tuesday. (Yonhap)

The official median income for 2026 was set at 6.49 million won ($4,500) per month for a four-person household, the government announced Thursday, marking the steepest on-year increase to date and up 6.51 percent compared to the previous year.

The official figure, which is decided on based on income trends and long-term data, is used in setting state-programs, such as calculating premiums for the national health insurance or as criteria for the beneficiaries of government benefits.

One such program is the livelihood subsidies available to those making less than one-third of the median income. The increase in the median income means the threshold monthly income for four person households has increased to 2.07 million won.

The on-year increase of the median income for this year is more than the 6.09 percent rise between 2024 and 2025, or the 5.47 percent increase between 2023 and 2024.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said this was to account for inflation and the increased pressure for living costs of Koreans.

Among the new policies for this year includes not penalizing those who had been compensated for the state's wrongdoings. If a victim of state crime — such as those involved with the April 3 Uprising in Jeju Island between 1940s and 1950s — received compensation, the money will be from the household property value for three years. This means financially challenged households do not have to worry about the compensation they receive affecting their access to state benefits.