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Paid leave
in South Korea.

  • Learn about paid leave in South Korea thanks to Horizons’ up-to-date guide.
  • Horizons is where real, local hiring expertise meets world-class customer service. Quickly and compliantly hire employees in more than 185 countries worldwide, without the need to open a local entity.

SALARY PAYMENT IN South Korean Won (KRW, ₩)

CONTRACT LANGUAGES Korean / English

PAYROLL TAX 16.43% – 34.94%

PAYROLL CYCLE Monthly

TIME TO HIRE 24 hours

Horizons-owned entity with local country experts in Seoul.
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Horizons entity
We offer fair, scalable, and transparent pricing on South Korea PEO service. Contact us for a cost breakdown
Fair pricing <img Class="plus" src="/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/plus.svg"> <img Class="minus" src="/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/minus.svg">
Fair pricing
End service in South Korea with no additional penalties or fees.
Flexible terms<img Class="plus" src="/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/plus.svg"> <img Class="minus" src="/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/minus.svg">
Flexible terms
Including vision, dental, death & disability, travel, and more.
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Insurance add-ons
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Hire and pay talents
with Horizons in
180+ countries

South Korea

Annual leave in South Korea (holiday / vacation)

Mandatory paid holidays in South Korea include: weekly holidays (typically Sundays) & Labour Day (May 1st).

The Labor Standards Act (1997) provides for employees’ minimum annual leave. Employees who complete a full year of employment are entitled to 15 days of annual paid leave. 

Those employees who have not yet completed a full year of employment, or have an attendance rate that is less than 80% over the course of the year, are entitled to 1 day of annual paid leave for each full month of employment that meets attendance requirements. 

The LSA also grants 1 additional day of paid leave to employees with over three years of service for every two years of service following the first full year (up to a maximum of 25 days). South Korean law limits statutory vacation days to 25 days per year. 

Parental leave in South Korea

In South Korea, parental leave is available to employees that have been employed with the same company for more than 1 year. 

Maternity leave in South Korea

Employees in South Korea are entitled to 90 days of paid maternity leave (or 120 days in case of twins).  It’s compulsory for mothers to take 45 consecutive days of leave after childbirth. Of the 90 days maternity leave, at least 60 days (or 75 days in case of twins) is paid by the company; with the remainder paid by the government. 

The specific funding mechanism for periods of maternity leave depends on the size of the business, either the employer or Employment Insurance pays for maternity leave. Employment Insurance grants those on maternity leave to 40% of their usual monthly pay. 

Employees on maternity leave are considered ‘protected employees’. Employers cannot terminate the contract of an employee on maternity leave, or within the 30 days following, the specified maternity leave. 

Paternity leave in South Korea

The paternity leave entitlement in South Korea is 10 days of paid leave. Of these 10 days, 5 days are paid by the company with the other 5 being covered by Employment Insurance.

Sick leave in South Korea

Employers in South Korea are not required to provide paid leave for non-work-related illness. Employees generally use their annual paid leave as personal sick days.

Bereavement and compassionate leave in South Korea

Bereavement or compassionate leave is not covered in South Korean law however many companies offer congratulatory and condolence leave for weddings and funerals. Although these types of arrangements vary from company to company, these forms of leave are granted in addition to annual paid leave.

Hiring in South Korea, Made Easy

Your business can easily hire employees in South Korea without opening a local entity. We handle local employment law, complex tax regulations, and international payroll in 180+ countries worldwide. All you need to do is focus on your business.

Get a free consultation today

FAQs

15 days for employees who have completed 1 year of employment. 

Mandatory paid holidays in South Korea include: Weekly holidays (typically Sunday) & Labour Day (May 1st).

Employers in South Korea are not required to provide paid leave for non-work-related illness. There is no set amount of sick leave and employees generally use their annual paid leave as sick days.

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Client Testimonials

"As a seed-stage, London-based startup, we were initially hesitant to expand internationally due to the administrative workload involved. Horizons completely took the headache out of the process, allowing us to hire a team of software engineers in Germany."
Gabor SzedlakCo-founder & COO
Gabor
"I truly appreciated the thoroughness and the professionalism of Horizons personnel while we hired internationally with them. When they advised our international expansion, they spoke confidently and were knowledgable on all subject matters pertaining to international employment."
Gary PaskyVice President of Software Development
Gary
"On deciding to begin commercial activities in Asia Pacific, we needed a provider to handle the employment and remuneration of our workforce. With Horizons the result was fast, efficient, and fit-for-purpose. We recommend Horizons as an EOR provider.”
Chris MorrellManaging Director
Chris Morrell
"The collaboration with the Horizons team is excellent. Both our local employee as well as our HQ in Germany are more than pleased with the support provided and the simplicity of the service. We can highly recommend the Horizons solution to anyone."
Christoph EngelbertCo-Founder & CTO
Christoph
"We needed an EOR that could provide expert support for payroll in APAC. We are pleased with Horizons’ expertise and the fact that they are flexible, responsive, and easily accessible from Belgium. They were able to provide services within the short timeline we required."
Katia FlamandHuman Resources
Katia
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