Hourly Wage & Holiday Pay

Holiday pay is a paid weekly day off granted to employees who work 15 or more hours per week. For a 5-day, 8-hour work week, one extra day's wages (8 hours) are added.

Korea's minimum hourly wage in 2026 is 10,320 KRW. For a 40-hour work week, the monthly salary including holiday pay is approximately 2,157,760 KRW.

Correct. Employees whose scheduled weekly hours are less than 15 are not entitled to weekly holiday pay. Only pay for actual hours worked is due.

Night work (10 PM–6 AM) and holiday work earn a 50% premium on the regular hourly wage. Overtime beyond 8 hours also adds 50%, and premiums stack when combined.

Paying below the minimum wage is a criminal offense subject to up to 3 years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million KRW. You can report violations to the Ministry of Employment and Labor (1350) or file a wage claim at the local labor office.

For contracts of 1 year or more, employers may pay up to 90% of the minimum wage (9,288 KRW in 2026) for the first 3 months of probation. This does not apply to simple manual labor positions.

365 days ÷ 12 months ÷ 7 days = approximately 4.345 weeks. This is the standard monthly conversion factor used by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and results in about 8.6% more than the 4-week basis.