Minimum Wage Calculator
Monthly and weekly pay at minimum wage.
Statutory formulaBased on 2026 rulesSources: Minimum Wage Act · Minimum Wage Commission · Ministry of Employment & Labor
Enter to check for a minimum-wage shortfall.
Minimum monthly pay
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Enter your hourly wage to check whether it falls below the minimum.
2026 minimum wage
The 2026 minimum hourly wage is 10,320 KRW, applying equally to all types of employment.
2027 minimum wage (upcoming)
The 2027 minimum hourly wage is set at 10,700 KRW (Ministry of Employment and Labor Notice No. 2026-60), up 380 KRW (3.7%) from 2026, or 2,236,300 KRW a month at 40 hours a week. It takes effect on January 1, 2027, so this calculator still checks compliance against the current 10,320 KRW.
How monthly pay is calculated
Minimum monthly pay is the hourly wage times 209 standard monthly hours (40 weekly hours plus 8 weekly-holiday hours). Custom weekly hours scale the holiday hours proportionally.
What is weekly holiday pay?
Employees working 15+ hours a week with full attendance get one paid day off per week, folded into the 209-hour monthly standard.
The "effective hourly wage" including weekly holiday pay — watch for an illusion
A common mistake when checking minimum-wage compliance is dividing monthly pay only by hours actually worked. The 2026 minimum monthly pay is 10,320 × 209 hours = 2,156,880 KRW, and those 209 hours include not just actual work hours (about 173.8 hours a month at 40 hours/week) but also paid weekly-holiday hours.
Dividing 2,156,880 KRW by only the 173.8 actual work hours gives roughly 12,410 KRW per hour — an illusion that looks well above the minimum wage. In reality, that's simply the 10,320 KRW minimum wage paid correctly across 209 total paid hours. To accurately judge compliance, total pay should be divided by total paid hours — actual work hours plus weekly-holiday hours.
Probation-period wage reductions — what to know
Some workplaces apply a reduced-wage provision during a probation period under certain conditions, paying less than the standard minimum wage. Whether this reduction applies, and by how much, depends on the length of the employment contract (whether it's a year or longer) and the type of job (whether it's classified as simple labor) — if the conditions aren't met, full minimum wage applies even during probation.
If you're unsure whether your contract qualifies, check the probation clause and job classification in your employment contract, then contact the Ministry of Employment and Labor's counseling center (1350, no area code) or your local labor office for confirmation. Note that this calculator computes the standard minimum wage without any probation reduction applied.
See how the minimum wage has changed by year
Korea's minimum wage is announced by the Ministry of Employment and Labor by August 5 each year and takes effect the following January 1. Year-by-year hourly and monthly figures from 2017 through 2027 are available on the minimum wage history page.
What counts toward the minimum wage, and what happens if it is breached
Whether pay meets the minimum wage cannot be judged from base pay alone. Which allowances count toward the comparison decides whether the same monthly figure is lawful or not.
What is included and excluded
Wages paid regularly each month count: base pay and fixed allowances such as position pay. Premiums for overtime, night and holiday work are excluded, so that extra hours cannot be used to reach the floor.
Bonuses and welfare payments were phased in over several years and now count in full where paid monthly in cash — including meal and transport allowances. Bonuses paid quarterly or annually do not count, and changing the payment cycle requires amending the rules of employment.
Benefits in kind, such as free canteen meals or dormitory accommodation, are not counted.
Who is outside the scope
The minimum wage applies to every workplace employing workers, including those with fewer than five, with a few exceptions.
Workers on a contract of one year or more may be paid 90% during the first three months of probation. Contracts shorter than a year cannot use this reduction, nor can simple manual roles.
Exclusion for significantly reduced working capacity requires ministerial approval and cannot be decided by the employer. Businesses employing only cohabiting relatives, and domestic workers, fall outside the Act.
Consequences of a breach
Paying below the minimum wage carries up to three years' imprisonment or a fine of up to 20 million KRW, or both. The sub-minimum portion of the contract is void and replaced by the statutory rate, leaving the shortfall as unpaid wages.
Failing to post the minimum wage where workers can see it draws a separate administrative fine of up to one million KRW. Breaches can be reported to a regional labour office or online.
Unpaid wage claims have a three-year limitation period and survive resignation.
How the rate is set each year
The rate is decided by the Minimum Wage Commission — nine members each from labour, employers and the public interest. The ministry requests deliberation by 31 March, the commission reports within 90 days, and the rate is announced by 5 August to take effect the following 1 January.
Either side may object before announcement, and the minister may order reconsideration, though changes at that stage are rare.
The Act allows differentiation by industry, but this has been applied only once, in the scheme's first year; a single national rate has applied since.
Legal basis
- Scope of included wages — Minimum Wage Act art. 6(4) and Enforcement Decree art. 5-3
- Probation reduction — Minimum Wage Act art. 5(2) and Enforcement Decree art. 3
- Exclusions — Minimum Wage Act art. 7
- Penalties — Minimum Wage Act art. 28; posting duty — art. 11
- Decision procedure — Minimum Wage Act arts. 8, 9 and 10