2026 Korean minimum wage 10,320 KRW/hour (+2.9%). Simulates worker income gain and employer labor-cost increase with ~10.7% Korean 4-major insurance burden. Based on MOEL official notice.
| 2026 Minimum Wage (Korea) | 10,320 KRW |
| 2025 Minimum Wage (Korea) | 10,030 KRW |
| Increase | +290 KRW |
| Increase Rate | +2.9% |
| Daily (8 hrs) | 82,560 KRW |
| Weekly (40 hrs) | 412,800 KRW |
| Monthly (209 hrs / incl. weekly paid leave) | 2,156,880 KRW |
| Annual (209h × 12) | 25,882,560 KRW |
Korean minimum wage hikes cascade into ordinary wage, weekly paid leave, 4-major insurance employer burden, severance and overtime formulas. Real employer burden is roughly 1.1× the nominal hourly increase.
The 2026 Korean minimum wage was finalised by the MOEL Minister in August 2025. Confirm probation discount and industry-specific exceptions with Korean MOEL.
This South Korea–only guide summarises Korea's 2026 minimum wage notice (10,320 KRW/hour) and the Korean Minimum Wage Act as of April 2026. Actual pay and employer cost depend on individual employment contracts, rules of employment, probation status, 4-major insurance rates (industry-specific workers' comp), and overtime composition. The calculator is a non-binding estimate with no legal force — confirm with Korean MOEL (1350) or the Korean Minimum Wage Commission (minimumwage.go.kr). This tool does not recommend any wage arrangement.
South Korea's 2026 minimum wage is 10,320 KRW/hour, a 290 KRW (2.9%) increase from 2025 (10,030 KRW), decided by the Korean Minimum Wage Commission and MOEL Minister in August 2025. Monthly equivalent (40 hrs/week, 209 hrs/mo including weekly paid leave) is 2,156,880 KRW; annual ≈25.88M KRW. The Korean Minimum Wage Act applies to every workplace, with up to 90% discount allowed during the 3-month probation if the contract lasts ≥1 year. Underpayment carries up to 3 years of imprisonment or a 20M KRW fine. Employers bear additional ~10.7% in 4-major insurance, pushing real cost to ~1.1× the hourly increase.
10,320 KRW/hour — a 290 KRW (2.9%) rise from 2025 (10,030 KRW). The Korean Minimum Wage Commission and MOEL Minister finalised it in August 2025 — the first labor-management consensus in 17 years.
Working 40 hrs/week adds 8 hrs of Korean weekly paid leave, so the effective rate is ≈12,414 KRW (= 10,320 × 209/174). You must work ≥15 hrs/week to earn weekly paid leave.
Yes — only for contracts ≥1 year during the first 3 months (9,288 KRW). Simple-labor jobs (food, lodging, sales short-term) and under-1-year contracts cannot use the discount.
The nominal 290 KRW hike is +60,610 KRW/worker (monthly 209h). Adding Korea's ~10.7% 4-major insurance burden pushes the number to ≈67,000 KRW, with further scaling on overtime and severance — roughly 1.1–1.15× the hourly increase.
Korean Minimum Wage Act §28: up to 3 years prison or 20M KRW fine. A worker can file a wage-nonpayment complaint with Korean MOEL; the labor office investigates and issues a correction order, escalating to criminal charges if ignored.
Yes. Korea's Labor Standards Act and Minimum Wage Act apply regardless of nationality to anyone working in the Republic of Korea. Certain special-employment types (foreign domestic workers) have separate rules.
Korea's 2026 minimum wage, set by the Korean MOEL official notice, is 10,320 KRW/hour, a 290 KRW (2.9%) rise from 2025's 10,030 KRW. Monthly equivalent (40 hrs/week, 209 hrs/mo including the Korean weekly paid leave allowance) is 2,156,880 KRW; annual ≈ 25.88M KRW. From the worker side, a full-time 40-hour week means about +60,610 KRW/month and +727,320 KRW/year; effective hourly reaches ~12,414 KRW with Korea's weekly paid leave. From the Korean employer side, adding 4-major insurance burden (NPS 4.5%, Health 3.545%, Long-term Care, Employment 1.15%, Workers' Compensation avg 1.47% — ~10.7% combined) brings the extra cost to ≈67,000 KRW/worker/month, with further scaling on weekly paid leave, overtime premiums (150%) and severance average wage. The 90% probation discount applies only to ≥1-year Korean contracts; simple-labor short-term workers are ineligible. Underpayment is punishable by up to 3 years of imprisonment or a 20M KRW fine under §28 of the Korean Minimum Wage Act. Confirm via the Korean Minimum Wage Commission (minimumwage.go.kr) and MOEL (1350). Applies to residents of the Republic of Korea.