Legal basis:
– Labor Standards Act.
1. Regulations of work hours
Work hours shall not exceed 40 hours a week and shall not exceed eight hours a day, excluding hours of recess. Upon calculating the work hours, any waiting time,… spent by employees under the direction and supervision of their employers that is necessary for the relevant work shall be deemed work hours.
2. Extend the work hours
An employer may extend work hours in a particular day or extent that average work hours per week, but that work hours in any particular week shall not exceed 48 hours. During a certain unit period of not more than two weeks do not exceed the work hours.
When an employer has determined matters by a written agreement with the representative of employees, he or she may extend work hours in excess of those in a particular week, or may extend work hours in excess of those in a particular day, to the extent that average work hours per week during a certain unit period of which is not more than three months. That work hours in any particular week or in any particular day shall not exceed 52 hours or 12 hours respectively:
– The scope of employees to whom the agreement is applicable.
– Unit period (to be determined as a certain period of not exceeding three months);
– Working days in the unit period, and work hours for each working day;
– Other matters prescribed by the Korean law.
However, the extension shall not apply to employees who are not less than 15 years-old and less than 18 years-old and to pregnant female employees.
3. Regulations of recess
An employer shall allow employees a recess of not less than thirty minutes in cases of working for four hours, or a recess of not less than one hour in cases of working for eight hours, during work hours. Recess hours may be freely used by employees.
