Practical changes for life in Korea: what changed, when it applies and where to check the official information.
The Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy raised maximum paid parental leave allowances and expanded public daycare enrollment priorities for working couples, including legally residing foreign families.
The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) deployed high-precision radar systems to enhance localized heavy rainfall and coastal storm surge tracking, feeding real-time multilingual safety advisories.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor officially promulgated the minimum wage for 2026 at 10,320 KRW per hour (2,156,880 KRW monthly for 209 hours), applying equally to foreign and domestic workers across all sectors.
Effective date:
The Ministry of Employment and Labor allocated additional E-9 non-professional employment visa quotas to resolve acute regional labor shortages in manufacturing, shipbuilding, and agro-fisheries.
Effective date:
The Ministry of Education simplified work-search visa (D-10) transitions and regional university scholarships under the Study Korea 300K initiative, supporting foreign graduates into technology and industrial careers.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety consolidated over 50 public agency digital certificate systems under Gov.kr, simplifying civil document issuance and address updates for all registered residents.
The Monetary Policy Board of the Bank of Korea voted to maintain the benchmark base rate, citing stabilizing consumer prices, steady employment, and ongoing surveillance of household debt dynamics.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy reported record-setting monthly semiconductor export volumes exceeding $11.8 billion, expanding South Korea’s national trade surplus for the fifteenth consecutive month.
The Ministry of Justice increased quotas for the F-2-R Regional Specialized Residence Visa, allowing international graduates and skilled workers settling in designated non-capital municipalities to live and work with their families.