Linh, a master's student in Seoul with a part-time work permit, works at a café 5 hours a day, 4 days a week, at exactly the minimum wage. Her monthly pay is about ₩897,000.
A Korean coworker on the same schedule gets ₩1,076,000. Same hours, same wage. Linh wonders whether she is being paid less because she's a foreigner.
The difference is weekly holiday pay (주휴수당): about ₩179,000 a month on Linh’s schedule. Every worker scheduled for 15 or more hours a week is owed it, foreign students included.
The minimum wage
| Year | Per hour | Full-time month (209 hrs) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | ₩10,320 | ₩2,156,880 |
| 2027 (from 1 January) | ₩10,700 | ₩2,236,300 |
The minimum wage applies to every worker in Korea, whatever the visa, the size of the business or the “probation” label. The only common exception is a 10% reduction during the first 3 months of probation for contracts of a year or more, and it can’t be used for simple manual jobs like café or store work.
Weekly holiday pay: the formula
Weekly holiday pay = (scheduled weekly hours ÷ 40) × 8 × hourly wage
You get it when you’re scheduled for 15+ hours a week and you show up on every scheduled day that week.
Linh: 5 hours × 4 days = 20 hours a week at ₩10,320.
Holiday hours: 20 ÷ 40 × 8 = 4 hours → ₩41,280 a week
Per month (4.345 weeks): about ₩179,000
Monthly total: ₩896,800 + ₩179,400 = about ₩1,076,000
Checking your own job
"₩10,320 including everything." A schedule of 14.5 hours a week, chosen to dodge the 15-hour line. Unpaid "training days."
A written contract (근로계약서) with hourly wage, hours and days. A pay stub showing 주휴수당 as its own line, or a higher hourly rate that clearly includes it.
D-2 and D-4 students need immigration's permission before starting part-time work, and weekly hours are capped during the semester. Get the permit first: working without one can put your visa at risk, even if the employer is happy to pay.
If you’re underpaid
Keep your schedule, messages and bank records, then call the labor ministry at 1350 (interpretation available). Claims for unpaid wages can go back three years, and they’re handled the same way for foreign workers as for Koreans.
Put your own wage and hours into the part-time pay calculator, which also shows 2027 figures.
Sources: Minimum Wage Act; Ministry of Employment and Labor 2026 minimum wage notice; Minimum Wage Commission 2027 decision; Labor Standards Act art. 18, 55.
Try it with your own numbersPart-Time Pay & Weekly Holiday Pay CalculatorEnter your hourly wage and schedule to see your monthly pay, including the paid weekly holiday most part-timers forget.Written from the laws and official notices in force on the date above. Rules change and every case is different, so check with the office named in the article before an important decision. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.