According to data from the Bank of Korea, the growth rate of paid employee compensation, which reflects total wages received by workers, has been lower than the growth rate of nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the years 2024 and 2025. This shift marks a reversal of the trend observed from 2018 to 2023, during which the growth rate of employee compensation exceeded that of capital income nearly every year. The current increase in profit shares for capital, particularly within profitable large corporations, is expected to expand even further this year.

The Bank of Korea reported that last year's nominal GDP increased by 4.2% compared to the previous year, while real GDP grew by only 1.0%. Expectations for 2024 predict a nominal GDP growth of 6.2% along with a projected 5.2% increase in employee compensation, indicating a sustained trend where profits attributed to capital are increasing faster than wages for employees. This two-year trend of capital share growth has been contrasted with the previous years where employee compensation grew significantly, bolstered by government policies such as minimum wage increases under the Moon Jae-in administration.

The changes are further underscored by the notable increase in real Gross National Income (GNI), which grew by 2.2% last year, a rate exceeding that of GDP growth. This rise can be attributed to significant increases in net factor income from abroad, coupled with improvements in trade conditions that reduced substantial real trade losses. The report indicates a worrying shift in the dynamics of income distribution in South Korea, illuminating potential socio-economic disparities that could arise from the dominance of capital over labor in the income growth narrative.