Seoul City Mayor Oh Se-hoon, affiliated with the ruling People Power Party(PPP), called to seek ways to reduce the cost of household labor offered by foreign workers to increase the effectiveness of related employment projects.

On his social media account on Thursday, Oh said the presidential office and the ruling party have begun discussions on the cost reduction, including differential application of the minimum wage.

Referring to the city's trial project of hiring foreign domestic helpers in tackling the nation's low birth rate starting September 3, in which the minimum wage is applied, Oh said politics should work to help families strike a balance between work and childrearing.

On Wednesday, five-term PPP Rep. Na Kyung-won also expounded on improving the current standardized and uniform minimum wage system to vitalize employment of foreign labor and allow more people to benefit from it in an era of low birth and aging society.

The nation's labor community, on the other hand, have repeatedly balked at such calls from within the ruling camp, saying a market-based "makeshift" policy would only spark unnecessary social discord and division.