SEOUL, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's household income rose in the second quarter on the government's income-driven growth policy to narrow an income gap, statistical office data showed Thursday.
Nominal income of households with at least two family members gained 3.8 percent in the April-June quarter from a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea.
Income for the bottom 20 percent of the low-income bracket inched up in the quarter, turning around in six quarters due mainly to the government's income-driven growth policy that includes a fast hike in minimum wage and basic pension.
Earned income for the bottom 20 percent tumbled 15.3 percent, but it was offset by the redistribution policies.
Income for the middle-income bracket between 40 and 60 percent grew at the fastest pace of 6.4 percent among the five income brackets.
Income for the top 20 percent bracket rose 3.2 percent over the year to average 9,426,000 won (around 7,800 U.S. dollars) in the second quarter, increasing slower than the combined income growth.
Meanwhile, nominal disposable income for households was up 2.7 percent in the June quarter, marking the fastest gain since the second quarter of 2015.