History
Paid vacation went mainstream in 1936, when France's Popular Front government legislated two weeks of congés payés, and the ILO adopted a paid holidays convention the same year. Korea included annual leave in its 1953 Labor Standards Act. The current "15 days plus increments" system arrived with the five-day workweek in 2003. A 2018 amendment stopped deducting leave used in a worker's first year from the second year's 15 days. New hires can now take up to 26 days over their first two years.
How leave accrues
In the first year, or in any year with under 80% attendance, workers earn one day per month of perfect attendance, up to 11 days. A year at 80% or more attendance earns 15 days. From the third year, one day is added every two years, up to 25. Time off for an industrial accident, maternity leave, or parental leave counts as attendance. Workers choose when to take leave, and employers can reschedule only if the business would be seriously disrupted. Workplaces with fewer than five regular employees are exempt.
Pay for unused leave
Leave not used within a year expires, but the worker is paid for it. The payment is daily ordinary wages times the number of unused days, and any remaining leave must be paid out on resignation. If the employer followed the statutory written leave-use promotion (notice six months before expiry and designated dates two months before) and the worker still didn't take the days, no payment is owed. Leave pay can partly affect the average wage used to calculate severance.
FAQ
- Do I get leave in my first year?
- Yes—one day per month of full attendance, up to 11 days.
- Is unused leave paid when I quit?
- Yes, unused days are paid out at your ordinary daily wage.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26
References
- 근로기준법 제60조(연차 유급휴가), 제61조(사용 촉진).
- International Labour Organization. (1970). Holidays with Pay Convention (Revised), No. 132.
- 고용노동부. (2024). 「연차유급휴가 업무 매뉴얼」.