As of November 2026, the short answer is that a Korean employer can pay a probationary worker 90% of the minimum wage only in a narrow set of cases. The 2027 minimum wage is KRW 10,700 per hour, so the reduced probation floor is KRW 9,630 per hour. That lower rate applies only when the employment contract is for a fixed term of one year or longer, the worker is within the first three months of probation, and the job is not classified as simple manual labor. The probation period also has to be set out in the employment contract or the workplace rules. If any one of these is missing, the full KRW 10,700 applies from the first day.
This guide is for job seekers in Korea, including foreign residents, who hear "the first three months are probation, so you get 90%" at an interview or in a job ad. It is based on the Ministry of Government Legislation's Easy Law guide to the minimum wage, a Ministry of Employment and Labor counseling answer on probation pay, and the Minimum Wage Commission's table of annual rates.
The three conditions for the 90% probation rate
The rule comes from Article 5(2) of the Minimum Wage Act and Article 3 of its Enforcement Decree. According to the Easy Law summary, a worker who has signed an employment contract for a fixed period of one year or more and who is within three months of starting probation may be paid the hourly minimum wage minus 10%. Workers in major group 9 of the Korean Standard Classification of Occupations, which covers elementary or simple manual occupations, are excluded.
1. A fixed-term contract of at least one year. A six-month or ten-month contract does not qualify, even if the employer calls the first weeks "probation". The Ministry of Employment and Labor answer says the 10% reduction may be paid for three months where the contract runs for a year or more and the three-month probation is written into the contract. The sources reviewed for this guide do not separately address open-ended (permanent) contracts, so if your contract has no end date, ask the Ministry's call center on 1350 or the regional labor office before you rely on either reading.
2. Only the first three months of probation. An employer may set a six-month probation period, but the reduced rate can be used only for the first three months counted from the day probation starts. From the fourth month, the full minimum wage applies even if you are still on probation.
3. Not simple manual work. The Ministry's answer states that for simple manual occupations hired on or after March 20, 2018, probationary workers must receive 100% of the minimum wage, and that the test is major group 9, "elementary workers", in the Korean occupational classification. What counts is the work you actually do, not your job title. If your duties are mixed, a labor inspector at the regional office can make the call.
There is also a paperwork condition. The same Ministry answer says that where probation is not set out in the workplace rules or the employment contract, the employer cannot reduce pay below the minimum wage. A verbal "you are on probation" is not enough.
2027 probation pay in numbers: KRW 9,630 an hour
The Minimum Wage Commission lists the 2027 rate, effective January 1 to December 31, 2027, as KRW 10,700 per hour, KRW 85,600 for an eight-hour day and KRW 2,236,300 per month on a 209-hour basis. The 2026 rate is KRW 10,320 per hour, or KRW 2,156,880 per month.
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| Item | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly minimum wage | KRW 10,320 | KRW 10,700 |
| Probation rate (90%) | KRW 9,288 | KRW 9,630 |
| Monthly, 209 hours, full | KRW 2,156,880 | KRW 2,236,300 |
| Monthly, 209 hours, 90% | KRW 1,941,192 | KRW 2,012,670 |
| Monthly difference | KRW 215,688 | KRW 223,630 |
The 209-hour figure assumes a 40-hour week plus 8 hours of paid weekly rest, converted to a monthly figure: (40 + 8) × 365 ÷ 7 ÷ 12, or about 209 hours, as the Easy Law page explains. Over a full three-month reduction in 2027, a full-time worker receives KRW 670,890 less than at the full rate (223,630 × 3). For an eight-hour day, the reduced floor is KRW 77,040 (9,630 × 8).
If you work fewer hours, apply the same hourly figure to your contracted hours. If you are paid monthly, divide your monthly pay by your monthly standard hours and compare the result with the hourly rate. Some pay items do not count toward the minimum wage. Easy Law lists overtime and holiday pay, premium pay and payments for unused annual leave among them, and only part of bonuses and cash welfare allowances such as meal or transport money is counted. Check your pay slip line by line.
Five situations where the 90% rate is not allowed
If any of the following applies, the 2027 floor is the full KRW 10,700 per hour:
- The contract is shorter than one year. A six-month office assistant contract or an eleven-month fixed-term role does not qualify.
- The job is simple manual work. If the work falls under major group 9, the contract length does not matter.
- Probation has passed the three-month mark. A six-month probation still means full pay from month four.
- Probation is not in writing. Without a probation clause in the contract or workplace rules, the Ministry's position is that no reduction is possible.
- The cut is deeper than 10%. The decree fixes the reduction at one-tenth. A contract offering 80% or 85% has no legal basis for that portion.
Before you sign, read four things: the contract term, the probation start and end dates, the probation pay and the duties you will actually perform. Part-time jobs are often signed for short terms, which usually rules out the reduction altogether. If the contract term is left blank, ask for it to be filled in before signing.
Starting in December: which year's rate applies
Many people start work in November or December, so probation often crosses into the new year. Easy Law notes that a newly announced minimum wage takes effect on January 1 of the following year. If you start a qualifying probation in December 2026, the floor for December work is KRW 9,288 per hour, and from January 2027 work it is KRW 9,630. If your contract fixes the probation rate at KRW 9,288, it needs to be raised for January work. If the contract does not meet the conditions, the floors are KRW 10,320 for December and KRW 10,700 from January. The three-month count does not reset at New Year: a probation that starts on December 1 can be reduced only until the end of February 2027.
Employers must also inform staff of the new minimum wage, the excluded pay items, the excluded worker categories and the effective date by December 31, either by posting it where workers can easily see it or by another suitable method. Easy Law says failing to do so can lead to an administrative fine of up to KRW 1 million.
What to do if you were underpaid
Under Article 6(3) of the Minimum Wage Act, any part of an employment contract that sets pay below the minimum wage is void, and the employer is treated as having agreed to pay the minimum wage instead. A 90% clause that does not meet the conditions is therefore recalculated at the full rate. Article 28(1) provides for up to three years' imprisonment or a fine of up to KRW 20 million, which can be imposed together.
A practical order of checks:
- Confirm the contract term and whether probation dates and pay are written down.
- Compare your actual duties with the simple manual labor category.
- Check pay slips for reductions that continued after the third month.
- Convert your pay to an hourly figure and compare it with the full rate, or with 90% if all conditions are met. The Ministry's online minimum wage calculator can help.
- If there is a shortfall, gather your contract, pay slips and attendance records, ask the employer to correct it, and file a petition with the regional labor office if it is not resolved. For an initial question, call 1350.
At the interview stage, two polite questions prevent most disputes: is the contract for at least one year, and what is the hourly pay during each month of probation?
