Minimum wage calculator
Turn Korea's hourly minimum wage into weekly, monthly, and yearly pay for your own hours, for 2026 and 2027.
Korea minimum wage (최저임금) calculator
Pick a year and enter your hours. Results update as you type.
The hours in your contract or shift schedule, not counting breaks.
Minimum monthly pay · 2026
₩2,156,880
209 paid hours × ₩10,320
Hourly minimum
₩10,320Weekly minimum
40 hours worked + 8 paid holiday hours
Paid hours a month
Weekly paid hours × 365 ÷ 7 ÷ 12, rounded to the nearest hour.
Yearly minimum
Monthly minimum × 12.
This is the official monthly minimum for a 40-hour week, based on 209 hours.
Official minimum wage
| Year | Hourly | Daily (8 hours) | Monthly (209 hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | ₩10,320 | ₩82,560 | ₩2,156,880 |
| 2027 | ₩10,700 | ₩85,600 | ₩2,236,300 |
2027: up ₩380 (3.7%) from ₩10,320 an hour.
Get rule changes that affect this number
Free Seoulstart Korea Weekly: news worth knowing about, plus tax, visa, and housing rule changes that move the math here.
Helpful guides
An estimate of the legal minimum before tax and insurance, for a week where you work every scheduled day. Overtime premiums are not included. To ask about your own case, call the Ministry of Employment and Labor (고용노동부) counseling center at 1350.
How the monthly minimum is calculated
The official monthly minimum is the hourly rate × 209 hours. In 2026 that is ₩10,320 × 209 = ₩2,156,880. In 2027 it is ₩10,700 × 209 = ₩2,236,300.
Where 209 comes from: a standard full-time week is 40 hours over 5 days. The Labor Standards Act (근로기준법) adds one paid day off a week, worth 8 hours (the weekly holiday allowance, 주휴수당). That makes 48 paid hours a week. A month has about 4.345 weeks (365 ÷ 7 ÷ 12), and 48 × 4.345 is about 208.6, rounded to 209 hours.
If you work fewer hours
Your minimum is your hours worked plus any paid weekly holiday hours, times the hourly rate. You get the paid weekly holiday when your scheduled hours average 15 or more a week, you work every scheduled day, and you are still employed when that week ends. It is paid in proportion to your hours: 20 hours a week earns 4 paid holiday hours.
Who it covers
- Every business that employs workers, with no nationality condition (Minimum Wage Act, 최저임금법, Article 3). Foreign workers on every visa are covered: E-9, E-7, H-2, F-series, and all others.
- The main exceptions are not about nationality: domestic workers hired directly by a household, businesses that employ only relatives living with the owner, and seafarers covered by the Seafarers Act.
- There is one rate for every industry. Korea has used a single rate for all industries since 1989, and 2027 keeps that single rate.
- Paying a foreign worker less than a Korean worker for the same work is illegal under Labor Standards Act Article 6 and Article 22 of the Act on Employment of Foreign Workers.
What counts toward the minimum
Base pay counts. Since 2024, regular monthly bonuses and cash welfare allowances (such as meal or transport allowances) count in full. Overtime, night, and holiday premiums, annual leave pay, irregular bonuses, and benefits in kind (a dormitory, meals) do not count.
If you are paid less
Call the Ministry of Employment and Labor (고용노동부) at 1350, visit a regional labor office, or file a wage claim at moel.go.kr. Keep your contract, payslips, and bank records. You can claim each unpaid payment for up to 3 years from the day it was due (Labor Standards Act Article 49).
Find work in Korea
Part-time jobs (아르바이트) are listed on Seoulstart Jobs. Factory work on an E-9 visa is matched through the Employment Permit System (고용허가제, EPS), not through job boards. The EPS guide explains how it works.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage in Korea in 2026?
₩10,320 an hour, from January 1 to December 31, 2026. That is ₩82,560 for an 8-hour day and ₩2,156,880 a month at 209 hours.
What is the minimum wage in Korea in 2027?
₩10,700 an hour from January 1, 2027, up ₩380 (3.7%) from 2026. That is ₩85,600 for an 8-hour day and ₩2,236,300 a month at 209 hours. The Ministry of Employment and Labor published the final notice on August 5, 2026.
How much is the Korean minimum wage per month?
₩2,156,880 in 2026 and ₩2,236,300 in 2027, for a 40-hour week. Both use 209 paid hours a month: 40 hours worked plus 8 paid weekly holiday hours, times about 4.345 weeks.
Does the minimum wage apply to foreigners in Korea?
Yes. Minimum Wage Act Article 3 has no nationality condition, and there is no separate, lower rate for E-9 or any other visa.
What is the minimum wage for part-time work in Korea?
The same hourly rate. If your scheduled hours average 15 or more a week, you work every scheduled day, and you are still employed when the week ends, you also get paid weekly holiday hours in proportion to your hours. Enter your hours in the calculator above to see the weekly and monthly minimum.