Simulates salary and annual-leave impact under Korea's Labor Standards Act (40 hours/week) when shifting to a 4.5-day workweek. Aligned with Korea's 'Work-Life Balance +4.5' pilot (MOEL).
| Labor Standards Act §50 | Max 40 hrs/week, 8 hrs/day (current Korean law) — no specific 4.5-day clause |
| Labor Standards Act §53 | With consent, up to 12 hrs extra/week (max 52 total) |
| Work-Hour Reduction Support Act | Under Korean parliamentary discussion (not enacted as of Apr 2026) |
| Work-Life Balance +4.5 Pilot | Korean MOEL pilot — up to 7.2M KRW/worker/year subsidy when no pay cut |
| Annual leave (§60) | <1 yr: 1 day/month (max 11); ≥1 yr: 15 days + 1/yr per 3-yr seniority (max 25) — same under 4.5-day |
| Item | Current 40h | ① Keep-pay 36h | ② Pro-rata cut | ③ Flex |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days/week | 5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Hours/week | 40h | 36h | 36h | 40h |
| Hours/month | ≈174h | ≈157h | ≈157h | ≈174h |
| Pay change | - | 0% | −10% | 0% |
| Effective hourly | base | +11.1% | 0% | 0% |
| Leave impact | - | None | None | None |
| ① Keep-pay (recommended) | 3M KRW kept · hourly +11% (17,240→19,108 KRW) |
| ② Pro-rata cut | 2.7M KRW (−300k/mo) · hourly unchanged |
| ③ Flex week | 3M KRW kept · Friday 4-hour day |
A 4.5-day workweek mandate is still under Korean parliamentary discussion as of April 2026. Adoption terms follow your labor-management agreement; MOEL pilot participation requires a separate application.
This South Korea–only simulator is a reference summary of Korean MOEL and Labor Standards Act guidance as of April 2026. A 4.5-day workweek is not mandatory in Korea; actual pay, annual leave and insurance bases follow your individual Korean employment contract, rules of employment, and labor-management agreement. The calculator is non-binding with no legal force — confirm with a Korean labor attorney or MOEL hotline 1350. This tool does not recommend any employer or working conditions and is a neutral simulator only.
A 4.5-day workweek reorganises Korea's standard 5-day schedule (commonly by making Friday a half-day or biweekly off). Korea's Labor Standards Act caps weekly hours at 40 (8 hrs/day) but has no specific 4.5-day clause; adoption is by labor-management agreement. The Korean MOEL's 'Work-Life Balance +4.5' pilot encourages pay-preserving adoption with up to 7.2M KRW/worker/year subsidy. Three main models: keep-pay 36 hrs (recommended), pro-rata 10% pay cut, or flex 40 hrs with a Friday half-day. Annual leave entitlements (≥15 hrs/week, 15 days after one year) are unchanged.
No, not as of April 2026. The Labor Standards Act only caps weekly hours at 40; 4.5-day adoption is by labor-management agreement. A Work-Hour Reduction Support Act is under Korean parliamentary discussion but has no enactment date.
The Korean government recommends keeping pay. In practice there are three models: (1) keep pay with shorter hours, (2) 10% pro-rata cut, (3) 40 hrs with a Friday half-day. The chosen model is decided by labor-management agreement; pay cuts need majority employee consent.
No — provided you work ≥15 hrs/week. Leave is 1 day/month (max 11) under one year of service, 15 days after one year (+1 every 3 yrs up to 25). How leave is used (half-day, etc.) can be adjusted by agreement.
Korean severance uses the average wage of the last 3 months. Keep-pay models are neutral; a 10% pro-rata cut lowers the average wage and reduces severance — consult a Korean labor attorney.
Yes. Korea's under-5 workplaces are exempt from some Labor Standards Act provisions (e.g., overtime premiums), but a 4.5-day adoption is free by agreement. Government subsidies are available when criteria are met.
Through the Korean MOEL 'Work-Life Balance +4.5' pilot, workplaces adopting without pay cuts can receive up to 7.2M KRW/worker/year, plus up to 9.6M KRW/year for new-hire expansion. The 2026 budget is 324B KRW. Apply via HRD Korea.
Korea's 4.5-day workweek is not a legal mandate but a voluntary, agreement-based work model; a mandatory Work-Hour Reduction Support Act is still under Korean parliamentary discussion as of April 2026. The current Labor Standards Act (§50) caps hours at 40/week and 8/day, and (§53) allows up to 12 additional hours/week by consent (52 total). Adoption follows three models: ① keep-pay 36-hour week (Korean govt-recommended), ② 10% pro-rata pay cut, or ③ flex 40-hour week with a Friday half-day. Korea's MOEL Work-Life Balance +4.5 pilot pays up to 7.2M KRW per worker per year for keep-pay adoptions and up to 9.6M KRW/year extra for new-hire expansion; the 2026 budget is 324B KRW. Leave under the Labor Standards Act §60 is unchanged — ≥15 hrs/week earns 1 day/month (max 11) under one year, 15 days after one year (plus 1 per 3-year seniority, up to 25). Pay cuts require majority employee consent (Korean rules-of-employment amendment) and may lower the average wage used for severance. Consult Korean MOEL (1350), the Labor Standards Act on law.go.kr, or a Korean labor attorney. Applies to residents of the Republic of Korea.