Minimum Wage in Korea for Foreign Workers: Your Legal Rights

Every worker in Korea is entitled to at least ₩10,320 per hour in 2026. This applies to foreign workers on every visa type: E-9, E-7, H-2, F-series, and all others. Three separate Korean laws make paying a foreign worker less than a Korean worker for the same job illegal.

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The 2026 rate: ₩10,320 per hour

The Ministry of Employment and Labor (고용노동부, MOEL) set the 2026 minimum wage at ₩10,320 per hour under Official Notice 2025-47, effective January 1, 2026. This is an increase of ₩290 per hour (2.9%) from the 2025 rate of ₩10,030.

The monthly equivalent for a standard 40-hour, five-day week is ₩2,156,880. This is the figure MOEL publishes, based on 209 hours per month (see the calculation section below).

How the 209-hour monthly figure works

You may see different monthly figures on job listings or in articles. The official figure uses 209 hours.

The calculation: a 40-hour week has 8 hours per day across five days. Korea's Labor Standards Act (근로기준법) requires employers to pay for weekly holiday time (유급 주휴수당) even when the employee is not working. This adds roughly 8.67 hours per month on average. Multiplying (40 + 8.67) hours by 4.35 weeks gives approximately 209 hours.

So: ₩10,320 x 209 = ₩2,156,880 per month.

If you work fewer hours than 209 per month, your employer calculates your minimum by multiplying your actual contracted hours by ₩10,320, plus any weekly holiday pay owed.

What counts toward minimum wage

Your employer may list several pay line items on your payslip. Not all of them count toward satisfying the minimum wage threshold.

Counts toward minimum wage:

• Base salary (기본급)
• Regular and unconditional allowances paid every month

Does not count:

• Overtime and night-shift premiums
• Annual leave pay (연차수당)
• Irregular or performance-based bonuses
• Benefits paid in kind (dormitory, meals, etc.)

This distinction matters if your gross pay looks high on paper but includes overtime that should be calculated on top of a minimum base, not instead of it. Check your payslip against Seoulstart's payslip guide for a breakdown of Korean pay line items.

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Why the same rate applies to everyone

Three laws establish equal treatment. They work together.

Minimum Wage Act (최저임금법) Article 3

This is the primary statute. Article 3 states that the minimum wage applies to "all businesses or workplaces which employ employees." There is no nationality qualification. A Korean employer cannot pay a Vietnamese worker, a Uzbek worker, or any other foreign worker a lower hourly rate than the statutory minimum.

Labor Standards Act (근로기준법) Article 6

Article 6 of the Labor Standards Act prohibits discriminatory treatment based on gender, nationality, religion, or social status. An employer who pays a foreign worker less than a Korean worker for equivalent work is breaching Article 6 directly.

Act on Employment of Foreign Workers (외국인근로자의 고용 등에 관한 법률) Article 22

This statute governs the Employment Permit System (고용허가제, EPS) and other foreign worker schemes. Article 22 explicitly prohibits employers from treating foreign workers "unfairly or discriminatively on the grounds that they are foreign workers." This provision reinforces the two laws above with a nationality-specific prohibition.

The HRD Korea EPS portal confirms for E-9 workers: Korean labor law applies "identically to domestic workers" (근로기준법, 최저임금법 등 각종 노동관계법령이 내국인근로자와 동일하게 적용).

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E-7 visa salary floors: a different system

If you are on an E-7 visa, you may hear about separate salary requirements. These are real, but they are not minimum wage rules.

The Ministry of Justice (법무부) sets annual salary floors as visa-issuance conditions for E-7 categories. Meeting these floors is a requirement for the Ministry of Justice to approve your visa sponsorship. They operate under immigration rules, not under the Minimum Wage Act.

The approximate 2026 figures, per Ministry of Justice notice (법무부 공고 제2025-406호), effective February 1 through December 31, 2026 (confirm current amounts at the Ministry of Justice immigration portal before applying):

These floors are higher than the national minimum wage and apply in addition to it. An employer cannot pay an E-7-1 worker ₩10,320 per hour and claim compliance: the E-7-1 visa condition requires a much higher annual salary. But the Minimum Wage Act still sets the floor under that floor.

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What does NOT exist: a separate foreign worker minimum wage

You may read claims about a new industry-specific minimum wage for foreign workers in Korea. These claims are inaccurate as of July 2026.

What the Minimum Wage Commission decided in June and July 2026

Korea's Minimum Wage Commission (최저임금위원회) is a tripartite body of 27 members: labor union representatives, employer representatives, and public interest representatives. It votes each summer on the following year's minimum wage.

At the June 2026 plenary, employer representatives proposed setting different minimum wages for different industries, specifically targeting the food service sector. The industry-differentiation proposal was voted down at that session.

The July 14, 2026 decision set the 2027 minimum wage at ₩10,700 per hour for all industries, with no foreign-worker differentiation.

Korea has applied a single uniform minimum wage since 1989.

The Ministry of Justice advisory committee: a proposal, not current law

In March 2026, as part of its 2030 Immigration Policy Future Strategy, the Ministry of Justice announced a plan to establish a "Foreign Worker Wage Advisory Committee" (외국인 임금 자문위원회) under the Justice Minister. This committee would set wage requirements by industry and visa type as conditions for visa sponsorship.

This is a stated policy intention. As of July 2026:

• The committee has not been formally established.
• No wage thresholds have been published.
• The mechanism would operate as an immigration condition (affecting visa approval), not as an amendment to the Minimum Wage Act.
• Primary coverage names E-7-1 and E-7-3 visa types. There is no confirmed reference to E-9 workers in this proposal.

Check moj.go.kr for updates if you are planning an E-7 application in late 2026 or 2027.

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If your employer is not paying the minimum wage

Not all employers comply. Wage withholding (임금체불) is a real problem in Korea, and foreign workers experience it at disproportionately high rates.

Step 1: Gather your evidence

Collect the following before filing a complaint:

• Your employment contract (근로계약서)
• Payslips (급여명세서) for every month you were underpaid
• Bank transfer records showing what you actually received
• Any text messages or written communications about your pay

Step 2: Contact MOEL or a labor inspector

Call 1350 (Ministry of Employment and Labor hotline). The line is available in multiple languages including English and Chinese via an interpreter-connection service. You can also:

• Visit the nearest MOEL regional office in person
• File a wage claim online at moel.go.kr
• Request a labor inspector (근로감독관) investigation

A labor inspector can order your employer to pay back wages. Wage withholding of any amount is a criminal offense under the Labor Standards Act, punishable by up to 3 years imprisonment or a fine of up to ₩30 million.

Step 3: Know the time limits

The statute of limitations for wage claims is 3 years from the date each payment was due (Labor Standards Act Article 49). Missing one month's pay does not mean you have lost your right to claim it. File as soon as possible, but you have up to 3 years per payment.

Retaliation is also illegal

If your employer fires you, reduces your hours, or threatens you because you filed a wage complaint, that is a separate violation. Document the timing and contact MOEL at 1350 immediately.

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The 2027 rate: ₩10,700 per hour

The Minimum Wage Commission decided the 2027 rate on July 14, 2026. It is ₩10,700 per hour, with a monthly equivalent of ₩2,236,300 at 209 hours. It takes effect January 1, 2027 and applies uniformly across all industries and all worker nationalities (as of July 2026, verify at minimumwage.go.kr).

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Seoul's living wage: a note for city-contracted workers

Seoul sets a "living wage" (서울시 생활임금) for workers employed by Seoul city or its contractors. In 2026 the Seoul living wage is ₩12,121 per hour (₩2,533,289 per month). This is above the national minimum and applies only to Seoul government-contracted roles. It is not the rate for most private-sector workers in Seoul.

@misc{seoulstart-korea-foreign-worker-minimum-wage-guide,
  author = {{Seoulstart Editorial Team}},
  title = {{Minimum Wage in Korea for Foreign Workers: Your Legal Rights (2026)}},
  year = {2026},
  publisher = {Seoulstart},
  url = {https://seoulstart.com/guides/korea-foreign-worker-minimum-wage-guide},
  note = {Last updated July 24, 2026}
}