South Korea
Find out key information relating to South Korea’s leave entitlements
Leave entitlement & working time regulations at a glance
Minimum Holiday Entitlement
11 days
Public Holidays
15-16 per year
Parental Leave
Up to 12 months for each parent, with some pay provided
Working Week
40 hours (full time)
Sick Leave Entitlement
No statutory requirement; company policy applies
Region
APAC
ABSENCE & LEAVE
Additional information
Annual leave
Employees get 11 days of paid annual leave in their first year in a role. This extends to 15 days a year in their second and third year in a role. From their third year onward, they get 1 extra day’s paid leave for every two years they spend in a role, up to 25 days.
Sick leave
Though there are no statutory laws regarding sick leave and sick pay, employers are obliged to pay workers for the duration of their recovery for any work-related illness or injury.
Maternity and paternity leave
When it comes to maternity leave, there are slightly different rules for small companies and large companies. However, the difference is only in how much of an employee’s maternity leave allowance the government pays, and how much the employer pays. In each case, mothers can take up to 90 days’ maternity leave, or 120 days if they have twins. Fathers can take up to 10 days of paid paternity leave. Mothers and fathers can also take up to 1 year of parental leave, during which time they’re paid a proportion of their regular salary. The more time they take off, the less of their salary they receive.