The Korea minimum wage 2026 for foreign workers is KRW 10,320 per hour — and it applies equally to foreigners and Korean nationals, whatever your visa. On the statutory 209-hour monthly basis that becomes KRW 2,156,880 per month. This page gives the official 2026 figures (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, and in USD), explains the 209-hour rule and the weekly holiday allowance that confuses so many migrant workers, and includes a calculator for overtime, night-work premiums, and an estimated take-home after the four major insurances. Social-media posts circulate wrong minimum-wage numbers every year, so here are the verified ones with the math shown.
The Minimum Wage Commission set the 2026 hourly minimum at KRW 10,320, a 2.9% rise from KRW 10,030 in 2025, effective 1 January 2026. Korean labor law converts the hourly figure to a monthly salary using a standard 209 scheduled monthly hours for a full-time 40-hour-week worker, which includes the paid weekly rest allowance. That gives the headline Korean monthly minimum wage 2026 of KRW 2,156,880 (10,320 × 209). These are the numbers an employer must meet for any worker, foreign or Korean.
| Period | Amount (KRW) | ≈ USD @1,380 |
|---|---|---|
| Per hour | 10,320 | $7.48 |
| Per 8-hour day | 82,560 | $59.8 |
| Per 40-hour week | 412,800 | $299 |
| Per month (209h, incl. weekly rest) | 2,156,880 | $1,563 |
| Overtime hour (1.5×) | 15,480 | $11.2 |
| Night premium per hour (+0.5×) | 5,160 | $3.7 |
USD figures move with the exchange rate; the calculator above uses a live FX input so you can convert at today's rate.
Yes — unequivocally. The Minimum Wage Act applies to every worker in Korea regardless of nationality or visa. That includes E-9 non-professional employment, E-7 skilled workers, E-2 instructors, H-2 working-visit, and F-series residents. An employer who pays a foreign worker below KRW 10,320/hour in 2026 is committing a violation that can be reported to the Ministry of Employment and Labor. There is no lower "foreigner minimum wage," and deductions for dormitory or meals are tightly regulated so they cannot be used to push effective pay under the floor.
This is the figure that confuses everyone. A full-time worker actually works about 174 hours a month (40 hours × 4.345 weeks), yet the monthly minimum is computed on 209 hours. The extra ~35 hours is the paid weekly holiday allowance (juhyu sudang): Korean law treats the weekly rest day as paid for workers who complete their contracted weekly hours. So 209 = worked hours + paid weekly rest, and your monthly minimum salary of KRW 2,156,880 already bakes in that paid rest day. If an employer pays only for hours physically worked and omits the weekly holiday allowance, they are underpaying.
A full-time worker at the 2026 minimum, no overtime:
Add 10 overtime hours and the gross rises by 10 × 15,480 = 154,800 KRW. Minimum-wage earners often owe little or no income tax after the earned-income deduction, so the insurance deduction is the main subtraction from gross.
The minimum wage is the floor; premium work pays more:
| Work type | Premium | Per-hour at minimum (KRW) |
|---|---|---|
| Normal hour | — | 10,320 |
| Overtime (beyond statutory hours) | +50% | 15,480 |
| Night work (22:00–06:00) | +50% (added) | +5,160 on top |
| Holiday work | +50% (more beyond 8h) | 15,480+ |
Premiums can stack — an overtime hour worked at night earns both the overtime and the night premium. These rules apply at workplaces above the size threshold for the Labor Standards Act's working-hour provisions.
Korea's Minimum Wage Commission — with representatives of labor, employers, and the public interest — negotiates the next year's figure each summer, and the government gazettes it (gosi) for a 1 January start. The 2026 figure of KRW 10,320 reflected a 2.9% increase and was notable for a rare consensus among all three sides. Because the number changes annually, "minimum wage 2026" is a freshness-sensitive search — always check the year, and beware social-media posts repeating last year's or an invented figure.
Every year, Facebook groups and chat threads for migrant workers spread incorrect minimum-wage figures — sometimes last year's rate, sometimes a number someone simply made up. For 2026 the verified, gazetted figures are KRW 10,320/hour and KRW 2,156,880/month on the 209-hour basis. If a recruiter, agency, or post quotes something different, cross-check it against the Minimum Wage Commission or Korea.net before accepting a job offer based on it.
If your pay falls below the legal minimum, you have recourse:
The protection applies regardless of visa, and retaliation for asserting your wage rights is itself unlawful.
An employer cannot dress up a sub-minimum salary by stuffing in odd allowances. The minimum-wage calculation counts your regular, fixed monthly pay, and recent reforms have folded most regular bonuses and fixed welfare allowances (like a standing meal or transport allowance paid every month) into the comparison. What generally does not count toward meeting the floor are irregular, performance-based payments and certain in-kind benefits. The practical effect: compare your guaranteed monthly cash against KRW 2,156,880 (for full-time 209-hour work). If the fixed, guaranteed portion falls short, you are being underpaid regardless of how the payslip is labeled.
Many E-9 and H-2 workers live in employer-provided housing, and deductions for it are tightly regulated. An employer may deduct for dormitory and meals only within legal limits and usually only with the worker's consent, and such deductions cannot be used to push effective pay below the minimum wage. There are caps expressed as a percentage of the minimum wage for accommodation and food. If you find large housing or meal charges shrinking your pay under the floor, that is a red flag worth raising with the Ministry of Employment and Labor — the minimum wage is a net protection that these deductions must not breach.
The Korean minimum wage is a single national rate — there is no lower regional or industry minimum, unlike some countries. A few narrow points: workers in a probationary period of up to three months can in limited cases be paid a slightly reduced rate (historically 90%), but this does not apply to many simple-labor jobs and to most E-9 workers, who must receive the full minimum from day one. There is no separate "trainee" sub-minimum for ordinary employment. When an employer cites a probation discount, check whether your role is even eligible — for most foreign manual and service workers, it is not.
The Korea minimum wage in 2026 is KRW 10,320 per hour, applying equally to foreign workers and Korean nationals. On the statutory 209-hour monthly basis (which includes paid weekly holiday allowance), that is KRW 2,156,880 per month. An 8-hour day is KRW 82,560.
The monthly minimum wage in 2026 is KRW 2,156,880, calculated as the hourly minimum of KRW 10,320 times 209 scheduled monthly hours. The 209 hours include the paid weekly rest allowance (juhyu sudang) that Korean law adds for full-time work.
Yes. The Minimum Wage Act applies to all workers in Korea regardless of nationality or visa type, including E-9 non-professional, E-7 skilled, and F-series visa holders. An employer paying a foreign worker below the minimum wage is breaking the law.
At an exchange rate around 1,380 KRW per US dollar, the 2026 hourly minimum of KRW 10,320 is roughly USD 7.5, and the monthly minimum of KRW 2,156,880 is about USD 1,560. The exact USD value moves with the won, so use the live rate in the calculator.
Overtime, night work, and holiday work carry premiums. Overtime is paid at 1.5 times the normal hourly rate; night work (22:00 to 06:00) adds a 0.5 times premium; holiday work also adds a premium. So a minimum-wage overtime hour is about KRW 15,480, and night work adds about KRW 5,160 per hour on top.
No. The 209 hours is a statutory monthly basis used to convert the hourly minimum into a monthly salary; it includes the paid weekly holiday allowance for a 40-hour-week worker. Your actual worked hours may be 174 a month, but you are paid as if 209 because Korean law treats the weekly rest day as paid.
From the minimum-wage monthly gross, the four major social insurances take roughly 9.4% from the employee (pension, health, long-term care, employment insurance), plus a small income tax. So take-home from a KRW 2,156,880 gross is roughly KRW 1.95 million before income tax, which is very low for minimum-wage earners.