Regular workers in Seoul earned the highest monthly income among their counterparts in 16 major cities and provinces last year, while those in the country's southernmost island of Jeju earned the lowest, the Ministry of Employment and Labor said Monday.
The ministry's latest survey said the average monthly wage for workers in Seoul was 2.59 million won (US$ 2,163), which is 112.5 percent of the
national average of 2.3 million won (US$ 1,924).
Workers on Jeju Island earned the lowest monthly wage with an average of 1.84 million won, or 79.7 percent of the national average.
Ulsan and Daejeon followed Seoul with 2.43 million won and 2.35 million won, respectively.
"Low income in the long term becomes a cause for loss of manpower while high income can become a reason for influx of manpower," a ministry official said.
"Regions with higher levels of income, in effect, are advantaged in being able to create jobs," the official said.