Working Hours in South Korea

The legal working week and day in South Korea, how overtime is paid, which days are the weekend, normal office hours and the paid leave you are owed.

Working week 40 hours Working day 8 hours Overtime pay 1.5× Weekend days Sat–Sun Business hours 9am–6pm Annual leave 15 days

Working week in South Korea

40 hours

The Labour Standards Act sets 40 hours a week, plus at most 12 hours of overtime, a 52-hour cap. The government is encouraging a 4.5-day week with subsidies, but the legal week has not changed.

Working day in South Korea

8 hours

The legal day is 8 hours, with a 30-minute break after 4 hours and an hour after 8 hours.

Overtime pay in South Korea

1.5×

Overtime, night work (10pm to 6am) and holiday work are each paid at 50% extra, and holiday work over 8 hours at 100%.

Weekend days in South Korea

Sat–Sun

Saturday and Sunday are the weekend for offices, banks and government. Workers who complete their week get a paid weekly holiday, usually Sunday.

Business hours in South Korea

9am–6pm

Offices usually work 9am to 6pm with an hour for lunch, Monday to Friday. Banks open 9am to 4pm on weekdays.

Annual leave in South Korea

15 days

You get 15 days of paid leave after a year, plus a day for every 2 years after that up to 25 days. In the first year you earn 1 day for each full month worked.

Checked 24 October 2026 against national labour laws and government sites. Laws change and this is a summary, not legal advice; check with the authority that applies to you.

Working days in South Korea 2026

Business days and working hours by month, after weekends and holidays.

Minimum wage in South Korea

The hourly and monthly minimum, in local money and US dollars.

Korean public holidays 2026

Every holiday with its date and long weekends.