For workers

For workers

Rules for employees and jobseekers in Korea — wages, leave, severance, and social insurance. Housing, visas, and everyday rules for residents are under Living in Korea.

• Maternity leave and spouse leave in Korea: days, pay, and when spouse leave can startHow Korea's Labor Standards Act sets maternity leave days and pay, how Employment Insurance benefits cover part of the cost, and how spouse (paternity) leave under the Equal Employment Opportunity Act works, including the September 18, 2026 amendment that lets spouse leave start before the birth and adds a spouse miscarriage/stillbirth leave.
• Filing an industrial accident insurance claim in Korea: recognition, benefits, and the deadlineHow the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act defines an occupational accident, what the eight categories of insurance benefits are, and how long you have to claim them, article by article.
• Dismissal in Korea: just cause, advance notice, written notice, and how to file for remedyWhat the Labor Standards Act requires before an employer can dismiss you — justifiable cause, 30 days' notice or pay in lieu, written notice — and how the 3-month remedy request to the Labor Relations Commission works.
• Severance pay in Korea (퇴직금): eligibility, formula, 14-day deadlineKorean severance pay (퇴직금): 1 year of service, 15+ hours a week, 30 days' average wages per year, paid within 14 days; DB/DC pensions change it.
• Annual paid leave (yeoncha) in Korea: how many days you get, when you can take them, and who's coveredHow Korea's Labor Standards Act calculates annual paid leave days, the deemed-attendance rules, the employer's use-it-or-lose-it notice procedure, and why workplaces with fewer than 5 employees are exempt.
• Korea's 52-hour work week: overtime limits, plus night and holiday pay explainedHow the 40-hour base week and the 12-hour overtime cap combine into the 52-hour week, when the 50% and 100% premiums apply for extended, night, and holiday work, and worked examples.
• The four social insurances for foreign employees in Korea: coverage rules by insurance and residence statusWhether National Pension, National Health Insurance, Employment Insurance, and Industrial Accident Insurance are mandatory for a foreign employee in Korea, article by article, with the visa-by-visa employment insurance table from the Enforcement Decree.
• Unpaid wages in Korea (imgeum chebul): the 14-day rule, the substitute-payment system, and current penaltiesWhat Korean law requires an employer to pay within 14 days of your last day, how the wage claim guarantee fund's substitute-payment system works, and the October 8, 2026 change to the penalty for unpaid wages.
• Weekly holiday pay (주휴수당): the 15-hour rule and how to calculate itWhat Korea's weekly holiday pay (주휴수당) is, who is entitled to it under the 15-hour rule, and how to calculate it for full-time and part-time schedules using the 2026 minimum wage.
• Korea's minimum wage 2026: ₩10,320 an hour, ₩2,156,880 a month (and 2027)Korea's 2026 minimum wage is ₩10,320 an hour, or ₩2,156,880 a month for 209 hours. How the monthly figure is calculated, the 2027 rate, who is covered, and worked examples for full-time and part-time pay.
• Year-end tax settlement (연말정산) for foreign employees in Korea, and the flat 19% electionHow Korea's year-end wage tax settlement works, how residents and nonresidents are defined, the progressive tax brackets under Article 55, and the optional flat 19% rate for foreign workers under Article 18-2 of the Restriction of Special Taxation Act.

Not legal advice. See the editorial policy.