Foreign workers in Korea receive the same protection under Korean labor laws as Korean workers. Here are the key rules you need to know about work hours, wages, holidays, and your rights.
⏰ Work Hours
- Legal work hours: 8 hours/day, 40 hours/week (excluding break times)
- Women within 1 year of childbirth: max 2 hours/day, 6 hours/week, 150 hours/year of extended work
- Pregnant women: no extended hours allowed
- Women over 18 need employee consent for overnight hours (10 PM–6 AM) and holidays
- Extended, overnight, and holiday work earns a 50% wage bonus
- Break time: 30 minutes for 4 hours of work, 1 hour for 8 hours of work
💰 Wage
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Minimum wage (2025) | 10,030 KRW/hour |
| Payment method | Cash or check only |
| Early payment | If requested, employer must pay for completed work hours before payday |
| Unpaid wages | Can be resolved through formal complaint or civil lawsuit |
🏖️ Holidays & Leave
- 15 days paid leave for workers with 1+ year and 80%+ attendance
- 1 day/month paid leave for workers under 1 year
- Injury, disease, maternity, and miscarriage breaks are not counted as absence
- Female employees can request 1 day/month menstrual leave (unpaid)
🛡️ Four Social Insurances
Foreign workers can receive benefits from Korea's four social insurances:
- Workers' Compensation Insurance — Mandatory
- Health Insurance — Mandatory
- Pension Insurance — Mandatory
- Employment Insurance — Mandatory depending on visa type; some are voluntary
More information at 4insure.or.kr
Business owners and foreign workers must also subscribe to departure guarantee insurance, return cost insurance, guarantee insurance, and accident insurance.
Need Help?
Ministry of Employment and Labor: Hotline 1350 (press 5 for multilingual service)
Q&A Portal