How annual leave works in Korea
Article 60 of the Labor Standards Act sets the minimum paid annual leave for workplaces with 5 or more employees.
Leave = 15 days + 1 day for every 2 years after the first (up to 25 days)
- First year: 1 day for each full month worked without absence, up to 11 days.
- After 1 year (with 80% attendance): 15 days. They arise the day after your first year ends, so you must still be employed that day.
- From the 3rd year: one more day every 2 years — 16 days in years 3–4, 17 in years 5–6, up to 25.
- Leave expires after one year. Days you could not use are paid out as unused-leave pay unless your employer formally urged you to use them.
Start date or calendar year?
Many companies grant everyone’s leave on January 1. In the year after you join, you get a share of 15 days in proportion to the days you worked in your first calendar year, then the normal count from the next January.
Joined July 1, 2025 → January 1, 2026: 15 × 184 ÷ 365 ≈ 7.6 days
When you leave, the total must not be less than under the start-date count, so the company has to settle any difference.
Standards and sources
- Labor Standards Act, Articles 60 and 61 (annual paid leave) · National Law Information Center (in Korean)
- Ministry of Employment and Labor (in Korean)
Last reviewed October 14, 2026
Frequently asked questions
How many days do I get in my first two years?
Up to 11 days in the first year (1 per full month) and 15 days once the first year is done, so up to 26 days in total. Since March 31, 2020, first-year days are no longer deducted from the 15.
If I leave exactly after one year, do I get the 15 days?
Only if you are still employed the day after your first year ends. If your contract ends on the last day of the first year, the 15 days do not arise; the 11 monthly days still do.
Does this apply to small workplaces?
Article 60 does not apply to workplaces with fewer than 5 regular employees, though the company may still give leave by contract or policy.
How is unused leave paid?
Days not used within the year are paid at your ordinary daily wage (usually hourly wage × 8), unless the employer formally urged you to use them under Article 61.
Is my data saved?
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