South Korea, officially known as the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It occupies the southern portion of the Korean peninsula. The country is bordered by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) to the north, the East Sea (Sea of Japan) to the east, the East China Sea to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west. It is separated from the Japanese island of Tsushima by the Korea Strait. South Korea’s largest industries are electronics, automobiles, telecommunications, shipbuilding, chemicals, and steel.
*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in South Korea.
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South Korea, officially known as the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It occupies the southern portion of the Korean peninsula. The country is bordered by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) to the north, the East Sea (Sea of Japan) to the east, the East China Sea to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west. It is separated from the Japanese island of Tsushima by the Korea Strait. South Korea’s largest industries are electronics, automobiles, telecommunications, shipbuilding, chemicals, and steel.
*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in South Korea.
The national holidays mentioned below are valid for the year 2025.
| January 1 | New Year's Day | |
| January 28 - 30 | Seollal | Movable |
| March 3 | March 1st Movement | Independence - Movement Day - In lieu of March 1 |
| May 5 | Children's Day | |
| May 5 | Buddha's Birthday | Movable |
| June 6 | Memorial Day | |
| August 15 | Liberation Day | |
| October 3 | National Foundation Day | |
| Octobr 5 - 7 | Chuseok | Movable |
| October 9 | Hangeul Day | Korean Alphabet Day |
| December 25 | Christmas Day |
The approximate time for sharing the contract with an employee in South Korea is 6 business days assuming no special requests or changes to our standard employment contract. Any such requests or changes would need to undergo internal and external review, directly leading to a time delay.
NOTE: This number is subject to change and is only an estimation of the Contract Sharing Time. The estimated Contract Sharing Time begins from the moment that WorkMotion has received all required information from both the client and the employee.
The notice period is standard for all employees, regardless of the length of service or position held.
The law does not specify the minimum or maximum period for probation but it is required to be reasonable.
There is no statutory provision for sick leave due to personal reasons in the South Korean Labor Standards Act. Employers can set their own regulations in the employment contract or through collective agreements.
Health check-ups should be conducted at least once every two years for office workers (every year for non-office worker).
The social security system of Korea has three components: social insurance, public assistance, and social welfare service. The benefits covered under social insurance are:
| Benefits | Employer Contribution | Employee Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Pension* | 4.5% | 4.5% |
| Health Insurance** | 3.545% | 3.545% |
| Long Term Care Insurance | 0.459% | 0.459% |
| Worker’s Accident Compensation Insurance (WCI) | 0.7%-18.6% | – |
| Unemployment Insurance | 1.15% | 0.90% |
| Disability Employment Fund | fee based on the assessment. It applies only to employers with over 100 employees who fail to meet the disability quota of 3.1% | – |
*The maximum and minimum monthly salary for calculating the National Pension Insurance are KRW 5,900,000 and KRW 370,000 respectively.
**The maximum monthly health insurance premium is KWR 7,822,560.
The standard workday is eight hours and the standard workweek is 40 hours excluding hours of break. Employees are entitled to a rest break of one hour for every eight hours of work or 30 minutes for every four hours of work.
The maximum number of working hours per week is 52, consisting of 40 regular hours and 12 overtime hours. Overtime is paid at 150% of the standard salary rate.
There is no explicit regulation of probation periods in South Korea’s Labor Standards Act. Prior versions of the Labor Standards Act once referenced “probationary periods” of three months or less in duration, which led many employers in Korea to include three-month “probationary periods” in company policies. However, there is no express prohibition or limitation in Korean Labor Law to this time period.
Employees are entitled to at least 30 days’ notice in cases of dismissal, and, if the employer fails to give such advance notice, they are liable to pay that worker ordinary wages for not less than 30 days.
The standard workday is eight hours and the standard workweek is 40 hours excluding hours of break. Employees are entitled to a rest break of one hour for every eight hours of work or 30 minutes for every four hours of work.
The maximum number of working hours per week is 52, consisting of 40 regular hours and 12 overtime hours. Overtime is paid at 150% of the standard salary rate.
There is no explicit regulation of probation periods in South Korea’s Labor Standards Act. Prior versions of the Labor Standards Act once referenced “probationary periods” of three months or less in duration, which led many employers in Korea to include three-month “probationary periods” in company policies. However, there is no express prohibition or limitation in Korean Labor Law to this time period.
Employees are entitled to at least 30 days’ notice in cases of dismissal, and, if the employer fails to give such advance notice, they are liable to pay that worker ordinary wages for not less than 30 days.
The social security system of Korea has three components: social insurance, public assistance, and social welfare service. The benefits covered under social insurance are:
| Benefits | Employer Contribution | Employee Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Pension* | 4.5% | 4.5% |
| Health Insurance** | 3.545% | 3.545% |
| Long Term Care Insurance | 0.459% | 0.459% |
| Worker’s Accident Compensation Insurance (WCI) | 0.7%-18.6% | – |
| Unemployment Insurance | 1.15% | 0.90% |
| Disability Employment Fund | fee based on the assessment. It applies only to employers with over 100 employees who fail to meet the disability quota of 3.1% | – |
*The maximum and minimum monthly salary for calculating the National Pension Insurance are KRW 5,900,000 and KRW 370,000 respectively.
**The maximum monthly health insurance premium is KWR 7,822,560.
