Korea minimum wage and part-time pay calculator
In 2026, Korea's minimum wage is 10,320 won an hour. Working 20 hours a week, you earn 247,680 won a week, or about 1,076,273 won a month, including weekly holiday pay.
Choose your visa below to check if 20 hours a week fits your work limit.
Your job
1. Do you get weekly holiday pay?
Weekly holiday pay is one extra paid day off each week. You get it if both conditions below are met.
15 hours or more a week in your contract
Yes. Your contract has 20 hours a week.
This is the average over 4 weeks of the hours you agreed to work.
You work all your scheduled days that week
This calculator assumes you do. If you miss a scheduled day without leave, you don't get it for that week. Coming in late or leaving early does not count as missing a day.
Any size of workplace
Workplaces with 4 or fewer workers must pay it too.
2. How we calculate
- Hourly wage
- 10,320 won
- Pay for your work hours10,320 won × 20 hours
- 206,400 won
- Weekly holiday pay20 ÷ 40 × 8 = 4 hours × 10,320 won
- 41,280 won
- Extra pay for night work0 hours × 10,320 won × 50%
- 0 won
- Total a week
- 247,680 won
- Average month24 paid hours a week × 365 ÷ 84 = 104.29 hours × 10,320 won
- 1,076,273 won
- Full-time minimum for a month2026: 10,320 won × 209 hours
- 2,156,880 won
- An average month has 365 ÷ 7 ÷ 12 ≈ 4.345 weeks, so 365 ÷ 84 hours per weekly hour. A real month's pay depends on how many workdays it has.
- The official monthly figure for a 40-hour week uses 209 hours: 40 work hours plus 8 weekly holiday hours, times 4.345 weeks, rounded.
- All amounts are before tax and insurance deductions.
3. Your visa's work hours
Choose your visa above to see your weekly work limit.
Before you start
4. Next steps
- Apply for a part-time work permit HiKorea · D-2 and D-4-1 students · online on weekdays 7:00–22:00
- Call the labor counseling center (1350) English and Chinese available · weekdays 9:00–18:00 · from abroad +82-52-702-5089
- Call the foreign worker helpline (1577-0071) Counseling in 17 languages
- Report unpaid wages Ministry of Employment and Labor · online petition (in Korean) · free
- Call the Immigration Contact Center (1345) English, Chinese, Japanese, French, German
Common questions
What is Korea's minimum wage in 2026 and 2027?
In 2026, it is 10,320 won an hour, or 82,560 won for 8 hours. In 2027, it is 10,700 won an hour, or 85,600 won for 8 hours. The same rate applies to every kind of business.
How much is the minimum wage per month?
For a 40-hour week, the official monthly figure is 2,156,880 won in 2026 and 2,236,300 won in 2027. It uses 209 hours: 40 work hours plus 8 hours of weekly holiday pay, times about 4.345 weeks. If you work fewer hours, enter them above to see your own monthly amount.
What is weekly holiday pay (juhyu sudang)?
It is pay for one day off each week. You get it if your contract has 15 hours or more a week on average over 4 weeks, and you work all your scheduled days that week. It equals your weekly hours ÷ 40 × 8 hours of pay. For 20 hours a week at 10,320 won, that is 4 hours, or 41,280 won.
Does the minimum wage apply to foreigners and students?
Yes. It applies to workers at any workplace with one or more employees, whatever their nationality. Part-time, temporary and daily workers are included.
How many hours can I work on a D-2 student visa?
During the semester, on weekdays: 25 hours a week for associate and bachelor's students, and 30 hours for master's and PhD students, if you have the required Korean or English level. With a certified university, an A average or TOPIK level 5, you get 5 more hours. Without the language level, it is 10 hours (15 for master's and PhD). Students with the language level have no limit on weekends, public holidays and vacations. You always need a permit first.
More questions
Can I work on a D-4 language student visa?
Yes, with a part-time work permit, from 6 months after you got D-4 status (or entered Korea with a D-4 visa). Your attendance must be 90% or higher. One permit lasts up to 6 months, for 1 workplace. Ask your language school or call 1345 for your weekly hour limit.
How many hours can I work on a working holiday (H-1) visa?
Up to 25 hours a week, and you don't need a separate work permit. Canadian participants are exempt from the 25-hour limit. Some countries also limit how long you can work for one employer; check the Working Holiday Info Center.
What happens if I work without a permit?
Under the Ministry of Justice's guide, a first minor case leads to a fine and you may keep your stay, but illegal work in construction leads to an order to leave Korea even the first time. A second case leads to deportation. The law allows up to 3 years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won.
Do I get extra pay for night work or extra hours?
At workplaces with 5 or more workers, yes. Work between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. is paid at least 50% extra. If you work more than the hours in your contract, those hours are paid at least 50% extra, only with your agreement, and up to 12 extra hours a week. Workplaces with 4 or fewer workers don't have to pay these extras.
My employer says I get less during training. Is that allowed?
Only if your contract is for 1 year or longer, during the first 3 months of training. Then the minimum can be 10% lower. This is not allowed for simple labor jobs listed by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. If your contract is shorter than 1 year, this rule does not apply.
My employer did not pay me. What can I do?
Your employer must pay your full wages at least once a month on a set day, and everything you are owed within 14 days after you leave. You can file a petition with the Ministry of Employment and Labor online, for free (the form is in Korean). For help in English, call 1350 or 1577-0071. The labor office decides each case.
How much is this in US dollars or my currency?
This page shows won only, because exchange rates change every day. To convert, use today's rate from the bank or service you will use to send money.
Do I need a written contract?
Yes. Your employer must give you a written contract, on paper or electronically, that shows your wage and how it is calculated and paid, your working hours and your days off. This applies at workplaces of any size. A D-2 or D-4 work permit also needs a standard labor contract with your hourly wage.
Official sources
- Minimum wage by year · Minimum Wage Commission
- Permission to work part-time for International Students (D-2) and Language Trainees (D-4-1) · HiKorea
- Working Holiday Program · Working Holiday Info Center
More official sources
- About Minimum Wage · Minimum Wage Commission
- Employer's obligations and penalty provisions · Minimum Wage Commission
- Minimum wage decisions by year, including 2027 · Minimum Wage Commission (in Korean)
- 2026 minimum wage notice · Ministry of Employment and Labor (in Korean)
- 2027 minimum wage notice · Ministry of Employment and Labor (in Korean)
- Contract working hours and the 209-hour month · Ministry of Employment and Labor (in Korean)
- Weekly holiday pay for part-time workers · Ministry of Employment and Labor (in Korean)
- Stay guide by visa type, September 18, 2026 edition · HiKorea notice (in Korean)
- International students: part-time work · easylaw.go.kr, Ministry of Government Legislation (in Korean)
- Korea Working Holiday 2026–2027 guide (PDF) · Working Holiday Info Center
- e-Application Guide · HiKorea
- Petition for unpaid wages · Ministry of Employment and Labor labor portal (in Korean)
- Reporting period for rights violations against foreign workers, April 20, 2026 · Seoul Regional Office of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (in Korean)
- Multilingual phone counseling for foreign workers, February 5, 2024 · korea.kr policy briefing (in Korean)
- How to calculate weekly holiday pay · Ministry of Employment and Labor online counseling (in Korean)
Korean law (23 articles and appendices, in Korean)
- Labor Standards Act, Article 11 (in Korean)
- Labor Standards Act, Article 17 (in Korean)
- Labor Standards Act, Article 18 (in Korean)
- Labor Standards Act, Article 36 (in Korean)
- Labor Standards Act, Article 43 (in Korean)
- Labor Standards Act, Article 55 (in Korean)
- Labor Standards Act, Article 56 (in Korean)
- Enforcement Decree of the Labor Standards Act, Article 7-2 (in Korean)
- Enforcement Decree of the Labor Standards Act, Article 30 (in Korean)
- Enforcement Decree of the Labor Standards Act, Appendix 1 (in Korean)
- Enforcement Decree of the Labor Standards Act, Appendix 2 (in Korean)
- Minimum Wage Act, Article 5 (in Korean)
- Minimum Wage Act, Article 6 (in Korean)
- Enforcement Decree of the Minimum Wage Act, Article 3 (in Korean)
- Enforcement Decree of the Minimum Wage Act, Article 5 (in Korean)
- Act on the Protection of Fixed-term and Part-time Workers, Article 3 (in Korean)
- Act on the Protection of Fixed-term and Part-time Workers, Article 6 (in Korean)
- Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Protection of Fixed-term and Part-time Workers, Appendix 1 (in Korean)
- Immigration Control Act, Article 20 (in Korean)
- Immigration Control Act, Article 94 (in Korean)
- Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Control Act, Article 23 (in Korean)
- Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Control Act, Article 25 (in Korean)
- Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Control Act, Appendix 1-2 (in Korean)
Checked against official sources on October 4, 2026. Rules can change. This page is information, not legal advice.
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