Minimum wage from January 2027 is 10,700 won per hour: what to check in your January pay

When does this apply to you?

• Your hourly wage now is less than 10,700 won.
• The basic pay in your employment contract is less than 2,236,300 won (based on 40 hours a week).
• Your boss says, "I will pay only what is written in the contract."
• You started work recently, and your boss says, "You are on probation (trial period), so you get less."

Comparison with 2026

Item	2026	2027
Hourly wage	10,320 won	10,700 won
Monthly pay (40 hours a week, 209 hours)	2,156,880 won	2,236,300 won

• The hourly wage goes up by 380 won, or about 3.7%.
• The 209 hours per month include paid hours for one day off each week (weekly paid holiday).

Steps

1. Check the hourly wage or basic pay in your employment contract. If the hourly wage is less than 10,700 won, in principle you get a raise from January.
2. Check your January payday. If you get your pay for January work in February, start checking with the payslip you get in February.
3. Calculate the basic pay on your payslip. If you are paid by the hour: hourly wage × hours worked, plus weekly holiday pay. If you get a monthly salary for 40 hours a week: check that the basic pay is 2,236,300 won or more. In agriculture, livestock and fishing, the weekly paid holiday is not guaranteed by law, so please see step 4 below.
4. Check that overtime, night and holiday allowances are also calculated with the new hourly wage. At a workplace with 5 or more workers on average, if you work overtime, with an hourly wage of 10,700 won you get at least 10,700 won × 1.5 = 16,050 won per hour.
   • At a workplace with fewer than 5 workers on average, extra pay for overtime, night and holiday work is not guaranteed by law. If it is written in your contract, you get what the contract says.
   • In agriculture, livestock and fishing, the rules on working hours, breaks and holidays, and extra pay for overtime and holiday work, do not apply (Labor Standards Act Article 63). Weekly holiday pay is also not guaranteed by law, so the monthly pay based on 209 hours (2,236,300 won) does not apply directly. Check that you get at least all your working hours × 10,700 won (example: 226 hours in a month = 2,418,200 won). Extra pay for night work is understood to apply if there are 5 or more workers on average. If you only do office, processing or sales work, it may be different. For details, please see Rules for agriculture and livestock workers.
5. If you got too little, ask by text message.
   • "사장님, 2027년 최저임금은 시급 10,700원입니다. 이번 달 월급이 이 금액으로 계산되었는지 확인해 주십시오." (Boss, the 2027 minimum wage is 10,700 won per hour. Please check that this month's pay was calculated with this amount.)
6. If it is not fixed, you can get advice and file a complaint. The difference between what you got and the minimum wage is unpaid wages. Please see How to report unpaid wages.

Things to be careful about

• Any part of a contract that sets pay below the minimum wage has no effect. The minimum wage is treated as the agreed amount (Minimum Wage Act Article 6).
• Your boss can cut the minimum wage during probation only when: ① your employment contract is for 1 year or more, ② it is within 3 months from the day probation started, and ③ your job is not simple manual labor. Even then, your boss cannot pay less than 90% of the minimum wage (9,630 won per hour in 2027). If even one of these conditions is not met, you get the full 10,700 won. To check whether your job is simple manual labor, call 1350 or 1577-0071. Please also see When your pay is cut because of probation.
• Even if your basic pay is low, it may not be a violation if your total is at or above the minimum wage after adding bonuses set and paid every month, or meal or transport money paid in cash. Overtime, night and holiday allowances, and meals or housing given in kind (not cash), are not added. If you are confused, take your payslip and ask 1350 or 1577-0071.
• Your take-home pay after things like dormitory fees are taken out is calculated separately. We could not yet check the 2027 insurance rates, so please check the actual amount on your January payslip. An example is in Living for a month on the minimum wage.
• No matter how many workers there are, the company must give you a payslip on paper or electronically when it pays you (Labor Standards Act Article 48(2)). If it does not, it can get a fine. To learn how to read each item, please see Reading your payslip line by line.

Frequently asked questions

Q. My contract shows my 2026 monthly pay. Do I need to sign a new contract? A. Even without a new contract, you must get at least the minimum wage from January. The law comes before the contract.

Q. From when are the hours I worked in December 2026 paid at 10,700 won? A. Hours worked up to December 31, 2026 are paid at the 2026 minimum wage (10,320 won). Hours worked from January 1, 2027 are paid at 10,700 won.

Q. Our company has 3 workers. Does the minimum wage apply? A. Yes. The minimum wage applies to any workplace that employs workers, no matter how many workers there are. It is the same for workplaces with fewer than 5 workers on average.

Where to get help

• 고용노동부 (Ministry of Employment and Labor) customer counseling 1350 (Korean, weekdays 09:00~18:00)
• 외국인력상담센터 (Foreign Workers Counseling Center) 1577-0071 (Nepali available, 365 days 09:00~18:00. On Saturdays and public holidays only duty staff work, so there may be no Nepali counselor)
• Check if your pay is right: Check your pay in 30 seconds