[Photo] Shoemakers make merely US$6 per pair of department store shoes

When a consumer buys a pair of shoes at a department store or e-commerce site, the seller pockets anywhere between 38 to 41% of the profits. Around 20 years ago, department stores only took around 20% of the profits of shoe sales. Although their profits have risen, those of the tradesmen who make the shoes remain unchanged. If a pair of shoes costs 300,000 won (US$252.44), the person who makes the shoes gets around 7,000 won (US$5.89), a mere 2.3% of the profits. The photo shows a line of shoe craftsmen demanding an increase in their share of the profits. (Kim Myoung-jin, staff photographer)