Where 209 hours comes from
A monthly salary is the hourly wage times the hours you are paid for in a month. Add the weekly holiday hours to your contract hours, then multiply by the average number of weeks in a month (365 ÷ 7 ÷ 12 ≈ 4.345).
For a 40-hour week that is (40 + 8) × 4.345 ≈ 208.6, rounded to 209 hours. The Ministry of Employment and Labor also uses 209 hours for the monthly minimum wage.
Monthly pay by weekly hours (2026 minimum wage)
| Contract hours | Paid hours / month | Monthly pay |
|---|---|---|
| 15 h / week | 78 h | ₩804,960 |
| 20 h / week | 104 h | ₩1,073,280 |
| 30 h / week | 156 h | ₩1,609,920 |
| 40 h / week | 209 h | ₩2,156,880 |
Under 15 hours a week there are no weekly holiday hours, so it is just hours × 4.345.
Minimum wage by year
| Year | Hourly | Monthly (209 h) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | ₩10,320 | ₩2,156,880 |
| 2027 | ₩10,700 | ₩2,236,300 |
If you are paid in the U.S.
U.S. federal law has no paid weekly holiday, so only the hours you work count. The usual convention is 40 hours × 52 weeks = 2,080 hours a year, or about 173.33 hours a month. Switch “Rules for” above to United States to calculate this way.
| Hours | Hours / month | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 h / week | 86.67 h | $628.33 | $7,540.00 |
| 30 h / week | 130 h | $942.50 | $11,310.00 |
| 40 h / week | 173.33 h | $1,256.67 | $15,080.00 |
Based on the federal minimum wage of $7.25 (since July 24, 2009). If your state or city sets a higher minimum, that one applies, and some jobs such as tipped work have separate rules.
Good to know
- All amounts are before tax. Social insurance and income tax (in the U.S., federal and state income tax and FICA) come out of your pay.
- Some Korean companies pay part of Saturday too, so their monthly base can be different (for example 226 hours). Check your contract.
- Whether a salary meets the minimum wage can depend on which allowances are counted toward it.
FAQ
Why 209 hours?
40 contract hours plus 8 weekly holiday hours is 48 hours a week. Times 4.345 weeks that is about 208.6, rounded to 209.
How is the yearly figure calculated?
For Korea it is the monthly pay times 12; for the U.S. it is hourly × weekly hours × 52. Bonuses and severance pay are not included.
Is the minimum wage different during probation?
In Korea, for contracts of one year or longer, an employer may pay 90% of the minimum wage for the first 3 months of probation, except for simple manual labor jobs (Minimum Wage Act, Art. 5(2)).
Why 173.33 hours for the U.S.?
There is no paid weekly holiday in the U.S., so it is 40 hours × 52 weeks = 2,080 hours divided by 12 months. Some employers count actual workdays instead.
Sources
- Minimum Wage Act (Korean Law Information Center)
- Minimum Wage Commission
- Ministry of Employment and Labor
- U.S. Department of Labor — Minimum wage