Winter break part-time work for international students in Korea: no hour limit for D-2 if Korean requirement met, 20 hours a week for D-4, permits and minimum wage

As winter break approaches, many international students look to put in more hours at their part-time jobs. Word also goes around that there is no hour limit during breaks. But that holds only for degree-program (D-2) students who meet the Korean proficiency requirement. Language training (D-4) students are subject to the same hour cap during breaks as during the semester (usually 20 hours a week). And even students with no hour limit must obtain a part-time work permit for each workplace before they start working.

Based on the Ministry of Justice's residence services manual (November 2, 2026 edition), this article sums up the hours allowed during breaks, the six-month rule for new language trainees, the permit procedure and documents, restricted industries, and the minimum wage that rises from January 2027. Amounts are given in US dollars first, with Korean won in parentheses (Hana Bank base exchange rate on November 3, 2026, $1 = KRW 1,341.10).

Degree programs (D-2): no hour limit on weekends and breaks if you meet the Korean requirement

Those eligible for a part-time work permit are D-2-1 to D-2-4, D-2-6 and D-2-7; visiting students (D-2-8) become eligible after six months have passed. Research study (D-2-5) is not included. The hours allowed for degree-program students vary by program and Korean proficiency level. The allowed hours are as follows (rules in effect since July 2023).

Preferential hours apply to students enrolled at an IEQAS-certified university, students with excellent grades and students with excellent Korean. English-track students, regardless of year, can substitute English scores such as TOEFL iBT 71, IELTS 5.5 or CEFR B2 for the Korean requirement.

As the table shows, 'no hour limit' applies only to students who meet the Korean requirement. Students who fall short stay at 10 hours a week (15 hours for master's and doctoral students) even during breaks. Degree-program students who meet the Korean requirement also have no hour limit on weekends and public holidays during the semester.

Some students are not covered by the unlimited hours during breaks. Students who have completed the coursework of a regular master's or doctoral program and are preparing their thesis can be granted a permit as an exception, but they are capped at 30 hours a week and the unlimited-break rule does not apply to them. Students who remain beyond two years of an associate degree or four years of a bachelor's degree because they lack credits are not eligible for a part-time work permit.

Language training (D-4): 20 hours a week even during breaks, starting six months after entry

Language trainees follow different rules from degree-program students. Those with TOPIK level 2 (or completion of KIIP level 2 or higher or a KIIP pre-assessment score of 41 or higher, or completion of King Sejong Institute Intermediate 1 or higher) can work 20 hours a week; those without it, 10 hours a week. Those who qualify for preferential hours, for example by being enrolled at an IEQAS-certified university, can work up to 25 hours on weekdays. Unlike degree-program students, they remain under the same caps as during the semester (20 hours a week, 25 hours on weekdays with preferential hours, 10 hours if the requirement is not met) during breaks.

Language trainees also face a restriction on when they can start. They can apply for a part-time work permit only after six months have passed from the date they obtained language training (D-4-1, D-4-7) status. For those who entered Korea on a visa, the count starts from the date of entry. The same applies to visiting students (D-2-8). For example, a student who entered on September 1, 2026, can apply only after early March 2027, when six months have passed, and therefore cannot obtain a permit during this winter break.

Grades and attendance are reviewed too. If the average for the semester immediately before the application date is below a C (2.0), a permit may be restricted, and language trainees are restricted if their average attendance rate across all completed semesters is below 90%. Those who worked without a permit or were penalized for violating permit conditions within the three months before the application date are also subject to restriction. If you plan to work during the break, check your grades for the semester before you apply and your average attendance rate to date.

The manual does not separately define exactly when a break begins and ends. The same goes for how periods of seasonal-session classes or breaks between language institute terms are treated. Check with your university's international student advisor based on your school's academic calendar.

Part-time work during breaks also needs a permit first

Even students with no hour limit must get a permit. No hour limit means there is no cap on hours, not that no permit is needed. The procedure is as follows.

1. Sign a standard employment contract with your employer. It must include the hourly wage, job duties and working hours.
2. Your university's international student advisor fills out the 'part-time work confirmation form for international students.'
3. Apply through HiKorea e-application or by visiting an immigration office. Visits require an advance reservation.
4. Once the permit is granted, a permit sticker is affixed or you print out the online permit. There is no fee.

The documents to submit are the application form, passport, alien registration card, a transcript or attendance certificate, proof of Korean (or English) proficiency, the part-time work confirmation form, copies of the business registration certificate and the employer's ID, and a copy of the standard employment contract. If the business registration certificate lists manufacturing or construction, a 'requirements compliance confirmation' written by the employer must also be submitted.

The processing time for permits is not stated in official materials. Kyung Hee University advises students to apply for the school's confirmation at least two weeks before starting work. Applications may pile up right before the break begins, so prepare early.

How many workplaces, and a new permit if you switch

If your workplace changes because your employer changes, you must obtain a new permit in advance. Reporting it after you start working is not enough. Even short-term jobs held only during the break require a permit for each workplace. Contracts in which the hiring company and the actual workplace differ, such as through staffing agencies, are not allowed.

Break internships and work that is not allowed

Degree-program students can do internships in professional fields (E-1 to E-7, excluding arts and entertainment E-6-2) as part-time work during breaks. This is an activity allowed as an exception. If the occupation requires a license, the student must hold it.

Master's and doctoral students in science and engineering get one more special provision. If they do a research and development (R&D) internship during a break at a corporate research institute with independent facilities, the Korean requirement is lowered from level 4 to level 2 and there is no hour limit. They must have an average of C (2.0) or higher in the previous semester and obtain confirmation from the university's international student advisor. This special provision does not apply to ordinary part-time jobs.

In some cases, no permit is needed at all. These include study-linked research or internships within the student's own university and the standard field-practice semester program under the Ministry of Education notice. Compensation incidental to daily life, such as one-off honoraria or prize money, is also not subject to a permit. Self-directed field practice, however, does require a permit.

Conversely, the following fields are not eligible for a permit.

• Special-type employment such as parcel delivery drivers, delivery agency riders, designated drivers, insurance planners, home-study worksheet tutors and door-to-door salespeople
• Manufacturing (allowed with Korean proficiency level 4 or higher), construction and seafarer employment
• Employment through dispatch, subcontracting or job placement (except industry-academia internship placements by universities in regions designated by the Ministry of Justice), and remote work
• Activities contrary to public morals or social order (universities cite adult entertainment bars, private-room bars and karaoke rooms as examples)
• Activities at businesses or workplaces of employers whose visa issuance has been restricted after they were penalized for illegal employment or similar violations
• Professional-field (E-1 to E-7) activities such as teaching foreign-language conversation to minor students. Such work requires a separate permit for activities outside the visa status, not part-time work (however, supporting activities in professional fields, professional-field internships during breaks, and safety and play assistant work at English kids cafes and English camps are allowed as exceptions under part-time work).

Private tutoring is also strictly restricted.

On October 30, the Ministry of Justice said international students caught working illegally in restricted fields such as delivery and adult entertainment will in principle be deported or ordered to leave the country, regardless of how many times they have been caught. The effective date of this tougher standard has not yet been announced. Details are in Tougher penalties for international students working delivery and entertainment jobs.

About $7.7 (KRW 10,320) in December, about $8.0 (KRW 10,700) from January

Because winter break spans the new year, the minimum wage rises partway through. For hours worked through December 31, 2026, you must be paid at least about $7.7 (KRW 10,320) an hour, and for work from January 1, 2027, at least about $8.0 (KRW 10,700). The 2027 minimum wage, announced by the Ministry of Employment and Labor on August 5, is about $0.28 (KRW 380, 3.7%) higher than in 2026. It applies equally to all workplaces regardless of industry. If you work across December and January, check your pay stub to see whether the hourly wage for January has changed.

The penalties for working without a permit are heavy. International students who work without a permit for activities outside the visa status face up to three years in prison or a fine of up to about $22,370 (KRW 30,000,000), and may be deported. Some school guides describe this as an 'administrative fine,' but it is a criminal penalty.

The manual also sets out handling standards by stage.

• Working without a permit. For a first, minor offense, the student is allowed to stay after a notice of disposition, but a second offense means deportation. Illegal employment in construction results in a departure order without exception, even for a first offense.
• Violating permit conditions. A first violation brings a stern warning, a second a ban on part-time work for the rest of the study period, and a third the cancellation of student status.

As noted above, a stricter disposition policy has been announced for restricted fields such as delivery and adult entertainment.

International students who are recommended by the provincial governor or mayor under the regional visa pilot program and attend designated universities and departments are subject to separate standards (such as 30 hours on weekdays) in Seoul, Gangwon, North Chungcheong, South Chungcheong, North Jeolla, South Jeolla and Jeju. Busan, Incheon and Gwangju follow the general standards. However, the pilot program is set to run until December 31, 2026, so students must check with their school whether it applies after January. These standards do not apply to general international students.

Pre-break checklist

• I have checked my allowed hours during the break based on my program (language training, bachelor's year, master's/doctoral) and Korean scores.
• If I am a language trainee, I have counted the days to see whether six months have passed since entry (obtaining status).
• I have checked my grades for the semester before the application date (average C or higher) and, as a language trainee, my average attendance rate across all completed semesters (90% or higher).
• I have confirmed my workplace is not in a restricted industry.
• I signed a standard employment contract, got the school's confirmation form and obtained a permit before starting work.
• I know I need a new permit when changing workplaces or adding another one.
• I plan to check that my hourly wage is at least about $8.0 (KRW 10,700) from January 1.

If you also plan to visit your home country during the break, see Winter break home visit and re-entry guide for international students as well.

--- Allowed hours, permit procedures and restricted fields are based on the Ministry of Justice's residence services manual by visa status (November 2, 2026 edition); allowed hours for language trainees on Study in Korea guidance; and the minimum wage on the Ministry of Employment and Labor notice (August 5, 2026). Standards may change if the rules change.