Korea Minimum Wage 2027: ₩10,700 an Hour, ₩2,236,300 a Month - Part-Time Pay Table and Weekly Holiday Pay
At a glance
- 2027 minimum hourly wage
- ₩10,700 (1 January 2027 to 31 December 2027)
- Monthly pay (209 hours)
- ₩2,236,300, before tax
- Increase
- ₩380, 3.7% (₩10,320 in 2026)
- Daily pay · weekly pay
- 8 hours ₩85,600 · 40 hours a week + weekly holiday ₩513,600
- Annual pay equivalent
- ₩26,835,600
- Part-time job monthly pay, 20 hours a week
- ₩1,112,800 (104 hours including the weekly holiday)
- 3 months of probation
- ₩9,630 — contracts of 1 year or longer only, simple labor jobs excluded
- Scope of application
- Same amount regardless of industry, workplace size or nationality
From 1 January 2027, the minimum wage is ₩10,700 per hour. It is up ₩380 (3.7%) from ₩10,320 in 2026, and working 40 hours a week gives a monthly pay of ₩2,236,300 (before tax) including weekly holiday pay (주휴수당). The daily pay is ₩85,600, and the annual pay equivalent is ₩26,835,600. The same amount applies regardless of industry, workplace size or nationality. This guide also includes a part-time job monthly pay table for 15 to 35 hours a week and how to calculate weekly holiday pay and probation reductions.
Korea Minimum Wage 2027 - Hourly Wage ₩10,700, Up ₩380 · 3.7%
From 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2027, Korea's minimum wage is ₩10,700 per hour. The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) confirmed it on 5 August 2026 as MOEL Notice No. 2026-60 (고용노동부고시 제2026-60호), and the same amount applies to all workplaces with no industry classification.
It is up ₩380 from the 2026 minimum wage of ₩10,320, an increase of 3.7%. The 2026 increase was ₩290, 2.9%.
As monthly pay, it comes to ₩2,236,300 on a 40-hour week basis, ₩79,420 more than the ₩2,156,880 of 2026.
| Category | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly wage | ₩10,320 | ₩10,700 |
| Monthly equivalent (209 hours) | ₩2,156,880 | ₩2,236,300 |
| Increase over previous year | ₩290 · 2.9% | ₩380 · 3.7% |
| Legal basis | MOEL Notice No. 2025-47 | MOEL Notice No. 2026-60 |
Korea Minimum Wage 2027 Monthly Salary ₩2,236,300 - Daily Pay, Weekly Pay and Annual Pay Conversions
The monthly equivalent announced together with the notice is ₩2,236,300. That is the monthly amount for someone who works 40 hours a week and receives weekly holiday pay, before tax and the 4 major social insurance deductions.
209 hours is the standard the notice sets directly - "where an employee works 40 contractual working hours a week, 209 hours as the monthly standard number of hours (including 8 paid weekly-holiday hours per week)." Adding the 8 paid weekly-holiday hours to the 40 working hours gives 48 hours a week, and multiplying by the monthly average of 4.345 weeks gives 208.56, which rounds to 209.
Using the same hourly wage, the daily pay, weekly pay and annual pay work out as below. All amounts are before tax. The amount that lands in your account after deductions can be checked with a take-home pay calculator.
| Basis | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Daily pay (8 hours) | ₩10,700 × 8 | ₩85,600 |
| Weekly pay (40 hours + 8 paid weekly-holiday hours) | ₩10,700 × 48 | ₩513,600 |
| Monthly pay (209 hours) | ₩10,700 × 209 | ₩2,236,300 |
| Annual pay (monthly pay × 12) | ₩2,236,300 × 12 | ₩26,835,600 |
Korea Minimum Wage 2027 Part-Time Monthly Pay - 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 Hours a Week (Including Weekly Holiday Pay)
Even a part-time job that works fewer than 40 hours a week gets weekly holiday pay if it averages 15 hours or more a week over 4 weeks. The 2027 monthly pay including weekly holiday pay is as in the table below.
Monthly paid hours are the value of (weekly working hours + paid weekly-holiday hours) × 4.345, rounded. This is the method set by Article 5 of the Enforcement Decree of the Minimum Wage Act (최저임금법), the same calculation by which the notice writes 48 hours a week as 209 hours. At a workplace that works 5 days a week, the paid weekly-holiday hours are the weekly working hours divided by 5. The monthly pay is the monthly paid hours multiplied by ₩10,700.
If the average over 4 weeks is fewer than 15 hours a week, there is no weekly holiday pay. In that case, the monthly pay is the hourly wage of ₩10,700 multiplied by the hours actually worked.
| Weekly working hours | Paid weekly-holiday hours | Monthly paid hours | Monthly pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 hours | 3 hours | 78 hours | ₩834,600 |
| 20 hours | 4 hours | 104 hours | ₩1,112,800 |
| 25 hours | 5 hours | 130 hours | ₩1,391,000 |
| 30 hours | 6 hours | 156 hours | ₩1,669,200 |
| 35 hours | 7 hours | 182 hours | ₩1,947,400 |
| 40 hours | 8 hours | 209 hours | ₩2,236,300 |
Weekly Holiday Pay - Conditions and Calculation: 15 Hours or More a Week, No Absences
Weekly holiday pay pays one day's wages for the day of rest each week. Article 55(1) of the Labor Standards Act (근로기준법) guarantees "one or more paid holidays a week on average."
There are two conditions for receiving it. The contractual working hours per week must be 15 hours or more averaged over 4 weeks (Article 18(3)), and the scheduled working days for that week must be completed without absence (Article 30(1) of the Enforcement Decree). It also applies to workplaces with 4 or fewer regular employees.
The amount is one day's wages, that is, the contractual working hours per day multiplied by the hourly wage. For a part-time worker (단시간 근로자), the contractual working hours per day are the hours obtained by dividing the contractual working hours over 4 weeks by the total number of scheduled working days of a full-time comparable worker (통상 근로자) over the same period. For someone working 20 hours a week at a 5-day-a-week workplace, that is 4 hours a day, so the 2027 weekly holiday pay is ₩42,800 a week.
Korea Minimum Wage 2027 Probation - ₩9,630 Only for Contracts of 1 Year or Longer
During probation (수습), pay can be reduced to 90% of the minimum wage — ₩9,630 per hour on the 2027 standard. Converted to 209 hours, that is ₩2,012,670 a month. However, all three conditions must be met.
First, the employment contract must run 1 year or longer. With a 3-month or 6-month contract, pay cannot be reduced even if it is called probation. Second, the reduction is allowed only within 3 months of the day probation begins. Third, people working in job types designated by the Minister of Employment and Labor as simple labor jobs (단순노무업무) are not subject to the reduction even while on probation.
The basis is Minimum Wage Act Article 5(2) and Enforcement Decree Article 3. The Enforcement Decree sets the reduced amount as "the hourly minimum wage minus 10/100" (100분의 10).
Korea Minimum Wage 2027 for Foreign Workers and Workplaces with Fewer than 5 Employees - the Same Wage
The 2027 notice states that the minimum wage "applies equally to all workplaces without classification by type of business." There are no exceptions by industry or workplace size, and no separately set amount for piece-rate workers (도급제 근로자).
Only three are excluded from the Minimum Wage Act: businesses that use only relatives living together, domestic workers (가사 사용인), and seafarers subject to the Seafarers Act and the owners of their ships. Even a shop with one or two employees must honor the minimum wage.
Foreign workers are the same. The Ministry of Government Legislation (법제처) explains that employers must pay E-9 and H-2 workers at least the minimum wage. An employment contract that sets an amount below the minimum wage is void to that extent, and the worker is deemed entitled to the minimum wage (Article 6(3) of the Minimum Wage Act).
An employer who pays less than the minimum wage faces up to 3 years in prison or a fine of up to ₩20 million, and may receive both (Article 28(1)).
Korea Minimum Wage 2027 - What Counts Toward It: Bonuses and Meal Costs In, Overtime and Night Premium Pay Out
When checking whether your monthly pay exceeds the minimum wage, what is counted in and left out matters. From 2024, monthly bonuses and cash welfare allowances (현금 복리후생비) such as meal, lodging and transport costs count toward the minimum wage (산입) in full (Article 6(4) of the Minimum Wage Act, Addenda Article 2).
What does not count: wages for overtime, night and holiday work and the premium pay (가산수당) on them, allowances for unused annual leave, and anything paid in a form other than cash. A free dormitory or a free lunch is not included in the minimum wage calculation.
The comparison method is in Article 5 of the Enforcement Decree. Take the monthly amount obtained by adding monthly bonuses and cash allowances to the base pay and subtracting overtime, night and holiday premium pay, and divide it by the monthly paid hours (209 hours for a 40-hour week). If the result is ₩10,700 or more, the 2027 minimum wage has been honored.
Korea Minimum Wage 2027 Decision Process - Vote of 15 to 11 on 14 July
The 2027 minimum wage was set on 14 July 2026 at the 14th plenary meeting (전원회의) of the Minimum Wage Commission (최저임금위원회). All 27 seated members attended.
In the final stage, the worker members (근로자위원) proposed ₩10,730 (a 4.0% increase) and the employer members (사용자위원) proposed ₩10,700 (a 3.7% increase). The mediation range (심의촉진구간) presented earlier by the public-interest members (공익위원) was between ₩10,600 and ₩10,860. The vote settled on ₩10,700, with 15 votes for the employer members' proposal, 11 votes for the worker members' proposal and 1 invalid vote.
The Commission estimated the workers affected by this amount at 660,000 (per the Survey on Labor Conditions by Employment Type, impact rate 3.8%) and at 2,978,000 (per the Economically Active Population supplementary survey, 13.3%). The Commission also discussed the scope of application, industry-by-industry classification and a piece-rate minimum wage, but the agenda item requesting review of these failed to reach agreement and was rejected. MOEL announced the minimum wage bill on 16 July and made the final notice on 5 August.
FAQ
What is the 2027 minimum wage?
It is ₩10,700 per hour. It is up ₩380 (3.7%) from ₩10,320 in 2026 and applies to all workplaces from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2027. MOEL confirmed it on 5 August 2026 as MOEL Notice No. 2026-60.
What is the monthly pay at the 2027 minimum hourly wage?
Working 40 hours a week, it is ₩2,236,300 on the 209-hour basis including weekly holiday pay. That is the amount before tax and the 4 major social insurance deductions, and as annual pay it is ₩26,835,600.
How much is the monthly pay for a 20-hour-a-week part-time job in 2027?
Including weekly holiday pay, it is ₩1,112,800. It is ₩10,700 multiplied by 104 hours, obtained by rounding 24 hours — 20 hours a week plus 4 paid weekly-holiday hours — times 4.345. It is based on a workplace that works 5 days a week.
Who receives weekly holiday pay?
Workers whose contractual working hours per week average 15 hours or more over 4 weeks and who complete that week's scheduled working days without absence receive it. It also applies to workplaces with 4 or fewer regular employees. If the average over 4 weeks is fewer than 15 hours a week, they do not receive it.
Can pay be below the minimum wage during probation?
Only if the employment contract runs 1 year or longer, the reduction falls within 3 months of the day probation begins, and the job is not a simple labor job: then pay can be reduced to ₩9,630, which is 90% of the minimum wage. With a contract shorter than 1 year, pay must be at least ₩10,700 even during probation.
Does the 2027 minimum wage apply equally to foreign workers?
Yes. The 2027 minimum wage applies as the same amount to all workplaces with no industry classification, and the Ministry of Government Legislation explains that employers must pay E-9 and H-2 workers at least the minimum wage. Any contract part that sets less than the minimum wage is void.