Working Time Rules: South Korea
South Korea: working hours, holiday calendars and annual leave rules for practical workforce planning.
This is a general overview, not legal advice. Limits, reference periods, exceptions, and record-keeping duties vary by sector and contract and change over time. Confirm the current rules with the official source and a qualified adviser.
Working week used in calculations40 hours per week8 hours a day over 5 days
Minimum annual leave15 daysFor covered employees, completing at least one year with at least 80% attendance normally gives fifteen paid annual leave days. During shorter service or with lower attendance, the rules use a paid day for each full month of attendance. Eligibility and employer size matter; the table does not automatically subtract fifteen days from every worker.Source
Statutory working time
South Korea’s Labor Standards Act generally applies to workplaces with at least five employees, while selected provisions also cover smaller workplaces. The general framework limits covered weekly work to 52 hours including overtime, with special arrangements and exceptions. The calendar model is not a compliance check and does not establish an annual legal hours quota.
What to check before you rely on this
- The current statutory limits, reference periods, and any opt-outs.
- Sector or collective-agreement rules that may override the defaults.
- How overtime is authorised, recorded, and compensated.
- What working-time records you must keep and for how long.