Korea Minimum Wage Calculator for Foreign Workers (2026)

What this estimate includes

Korea's 2026 minimum wage is KRW 10,320 per hour. This calculator checks whether the hourly pay you enter is lower than that amount. For monthly pay, it divides your regular monthly pay by the paid hours you enter before making the comparison. It gives an estimate rather than a legal decision about a particular employment contract.

How the calculation works

1. For hourly pay, the entered whole-won hourly amount is compared directly with KRW 10,320.
2. For monthly pay, the calculator multiplies KRW 10,320 by the entered monthly hours and rounds the required total up to the next whole won before comparing it with regular monthly pay.
3. The familiar KRW 2,156,880 monthly reference is KRW 10,320 multiplied by 209 hours; 209 hours is only appropriate when that paid-hours assumption fits the arrangement.

Assumptions

• Amounts are entered in whole Korean won and monthly comparison hours may use up to two decimal places.
• The monthly pay field should include only wage items counted in the minimum-wage comparison. This tool does not classify allowances; that can require review of the contract, payslip, and current rule.

Example

If regular monthly pay is KRW 2,156,880 and the relevant paid hours are 209, the hourly equivalent is KRW 10,320 and matches Korea's 2026 minimum wage. If the same hours are entered with KRW 2,100,000, the calculator shows an estimated monthly shortage of KRW 56,880.

Limits and cautions

• A result below the minimum wage is a reason to check the pay statement and contract, not a confirmed wage-debt judgment.
• The tool does not decide whether an employer, workplace, worker category, probation rule, or paid weekly rest rule changes the legal result.
• Overtime, night work, holiday work, severance, deductions, and take-home pay are outside this calculator.
• Minimum-wage rules and included wage items can change; confirm the current rule with the Minimum Wage Commission or the Ministry of Employment and Labor.