Pay and your rights at work in Korea: minimum wage, payslips and unpaid wages
The 2026 minimum wage, weekly holiday pay, what comes off your payslip, and what to do if your boss doesn't pay you, for working holiday makers in Korea.
Most working holiday makers in Korea work in cafés, restaurants, guesthouses and farms. Most bosses are fine, but unpaid hours, “cash only” deals and missing holiday pay are common. Korean labour law covers you the same as a Korean worker, whatever your visa. Here’s what you’re owed and how to get it.
Minimum wage in 2026
| 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Per hour | ₩10,320 |
| Full-time month (40 hours a week, including weekly holiday pay) | ₩2,156,880 |
- It applies to everyone: part-time, full-time, foreigners, and people on a trial or training period. On a short contract, “training pay” below the minimum wage isn’t allowed.
- Free meals or a free room don’t count towards the minimum wage. Your cash pay alone has to reach ₩10,320 an hour.
- The rate changes every 1 January. Check the new one each year.
Weekly holiday pay (주휴수당)
This is the one people miss most often.
If you work 15 hours or more a week and turn up for all your scheduled shifts, you’re owed one extra paid day each week. That’s roughly your average daily hours × your hourly wage.
Example: 20 hours a week (4 hours × 5 days) at ₩10,320.
- Weekly pay: 20 × ₩10,320 = ₩206,400
- Holiday pay: 4 hours × ₩10,320 = ₩41,280 extra a week
Some bosses keep shifts at 14 hours a week on purpose so they don’t have to pay it. That’s legal, but it’s worth knowing why it happens.
Your contract and payslip
- Written contract (근로계약서): your employer must give you a signed copy showing pay, hours, days off and workplace. Not giving one can mean a fine for the employer. Take a photo of it.
- Payslip (임금명세서): since November 2021, every employer must give you a payslip each payday. It should list hours worked, each payment (base pay, holiday pay, overtime) and each deduction.
- Payday: at least once a month, on a fixed date, in full. Bank transfer is normal.
What comes off your pay
| Deduction | Roughly | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| National Pension (국민연금) | 4.75% | Applies to H-1 visa holders. You may get it back when you leave, depending on your nationality. See our leaving Korea checklist. |
| Health insurance + long-term care | about 4% | If you’re enrolled through work. See health insurance in Korea. |
| Income tax + local tax | small | Depends on how much you earn. Often zero on part-time pay. |
| Employment insurance | 0.9% | Not always taken for working holiday makers. |
The “3.3%” trick
Some employers take only 3.3% off and call you a “freelancer” (프리랜서) instead of an employee. This is common, and it’s often done to avoid insurance and severance pay. If you work set hours, at their workplace, under their instructions, you’re an employee in law, whatever the paperwork says. That means you keep your rights to the minimum wage, holiday pay and severance. You can often get the 3.3% back, too: see getting money back when you leave Korea.
Extra pay and breaks
At workplaces with 5 or more employees:
- Overtime (over 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week), night work (10pm–6am) and public holiday work are paid at 1.5×.
- You get paid annual leave after a month of full attendance.
At every workplace:
- Breaks: at least 30 minutes for every 4 hours worked, and 1 hour for 8 hours.
- Notice: if you’ve worked more than 3 months, your employer must give you 30 days’ notice before firing you, or 30 days’ pay instead.
- Severance pay (퇴직금): after 1 year with the same employer at 15+ hours a week, you’re owed about one month’s pay for each year.
If your boss doesn’t pay you
- Keep evidence. Photos of your contract and payslips, your bank statements, your shift schedule, and chat messages with your boss. Even a simple note of the hours you worked each day helps.
- Ask in writing first. A polite KakaoTalk message (“I haven’t received my pay for October, can you check?”) creates a record.
- Call 1350, the Ministry of Employment and Labor helpline. Press the option for English. They’ll explain your rights and the next step.
- File a complaint (진정). You can file online at minwon.moel.go.kr, or at the local labour office for your workplace’s area. A labour inspector investigates, and it’s free.
- Don’t wait. Wage claims run out after 3 years, but it’s much easier to fix while you’re still in Korea. Act before your visa ends.
Worried about your visa? Labour offices handle wage complaints separately from immigration, and victims of unpaid wages are protected from being reported for that reason. If you’re unsure about your visa status, call 1345 (immigration, English available) as well.
Quick checklist for a new job
- Hourly pay is at least ₩10,320
- Signed contract, and you have a copy
- You know your payday and how you’ll be paid
- You know whether you’ll get weekly holiday pay (15+ hours a week)
- The job is allowed on your visa. See which jobs you can do on an H-1 visa.
- Nobody is keeping your passport or ARC