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Minimum wage in Korea 2026: hourly rate, monthly figure, foreign workers and a calculator
Numbers checked against the official source on 2026-10-19
The Korean minimum wage in 2026 is ₩10,320 per hour, up ₩290 from 2025. The Minimum Wage Commission's English page also prints ₩82,560 per day (based on 8 hours) and ₩2,156,880 per month (based on 209 hours, "based on public notice"). It applies to workers at workplaces with one employee or more "regardless of employment status or nationality", and foreign employees are explicitly included. For 2027 the Ministry of Employment and Labor has notified ₩10,700 per hour.
Wage calculator
Two checks, both using only figures the Commission prints: your pay for a number of hours, and whether a monthly salary clears the 209-hour monthly figure.
Not covered: probation or trainee exceptions, which pay elements count toward the minimum, weekly holiday pay, overtime, and any monthly figure for 2027 (the 2027 notice gives an hourly rate only). The 209-hour comparison uses the Commission's "based on public notice" monthly figure; it is not a ruling on your contract.
2026 figures at a glance
| Basis | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hourly | ₩10,320 (up ₩290, 2.9%, from 2025) |
| Daily (based on 8 hours) | ₩82,560 |
| Monthly (based on 209 hours, based on public notice) | ₩2,156,880 |
Check (derived arithmetic): ₩10,320 × 8 = ₩82,560 and ₩10,320 × 209 = ₩2,156,880, so the daily and monthly figures follow from the hourly rate.
Recent years
| Year | Hourly | Daily (8 h) | Monthly (209 h) | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 10,320 | 82,560 | 2,156,880 | 2.9% (290) |
| 2025 | 10,030 | 80,240 | 2,096,270 | 1.7% (170) |
| 2024 | 9,860 | 78,880 | 2,060,740 | 2.5% (240) |
| 2023 | 9,620 | 76,960 | 2,010,580 | 5.0% (460) |
| 2022 | 9,160 | 73,280 | 1,914,440 | 5.05% (440) |
The 2027 rate: a notice dated 2026-08-05 states that the Minister of Employment and Labor has notified the 2027 minimum wage at ₩10,700 per hour (Notice No. 2026-60). That notice is published in Korean only. It does not print daily or monthly figures.
Who is covered, including foreign workers
- Scope: the Minimum Wage Act applies to all kinds of businesses or workplaces that employ employees. In the Commission's words, workers as defined in the Labor Standards Act at businesses or workplaces with 1 employee or more, regardless of employment status or nationality.
- Foreign workers: temporary, daily or part-time employees and foreign employees are included.
- Employer duty: pay at least the minimum wage. If a contract sets a lower wage, that provision is null and void and the employee is treated as if they had agreed to the minimum wage.
- Penalty: failing to pay the minimum wage is punishable by imprisonment of up to 3 years or a fine of up to ₩20 million, or both.
- Notice duty: employers must tell employees the minimum wage by posting it in a conspicuous place or by other means, by one day before the effective date; the administrative fine for failing to do so is up to ₩1 million.
Where the official pages disagree
| Topic | Minimum Wage Commission (English) | Ministry of Employment and Labor (English) |
|---|---|---|
| Current rate | 2026: ₩10,320 per hour. | The Labor Standards page still reads "The 2020 minimum wage was set at 8,590 won an hour" and "the 2021 minimum wage would be set at 8,720 won an hour". These are old years. |
| Small workplaces | Minimum Wage Act: workplaces with 1 employee or more. | "In principle, the Labor Standards Act applies to all businesses or workplaces ordinarily employing five workers or more", with some provisions (including wages) reaching workplaces with four or fewer. |
These two do not conflict on the minimum wage: the Ministry's text describes the Labor Standards Act, while the Commission describes the Minimum Wage Act. The Ministry's rate figures are simply out of date, so use the Commission for the number.
How the rate is set
The Commission receives a request for deliberation from the Minister of Employment and Labor each March, and the Minister announces the rate by August 5. By law (Article 4) it considers the cost of living of employees, wages of similar employees, labor productivity and income distribution.
The Commission's English page prints no revision date but states the 2026 figures; the yearly table covers 2026-01-01 to 2026-12-31. All pages were read on 2026-10-19.
Official sources
- Minimum Wage Commission (English) — main page — 2026 hourly, daily and monthly minimum wage; no revision date printed (read on 2026-10-19) (checked 2026-10-19)
- Minimum Wage Commission (English) — About Minimum Wage — scope of application, including foreign employees (checked 2026-10-19)
- Minimum Wage Commission (English) — Employer's obligations and penalties — duty to pay, null-and-void rule, penalties, notice duty (checked 2026-10-19)
- Minimum Wage Commission (English) — Minimum wage by year — annual table with 2026 row (10,320 / 82,560 / 2,156,880) (checked 2026-10-19)
- Minimum Wage Commission (English) — Determination of minimum wage — how and when the rate is set (checked 2026-10-19)
- Minimum Wage Commission (Korean) — Notice: 2027 minimum wage — notice dated 2026-08-05: 2027 minimum wage ₩10,700 per hour, Notice No. 2026-60 (Korean only) (checked 2026-10-19)
- Ministry of Employment and Labor (English) — Labor Standards — Labor Standards Act scope; page still carries 2020 and 2021 minimum wage figures (checked 2026-10-19)
Prices change. If an official page shows a different number from this page, the official page wins — and please tell us so we can fix it.