Why You Get Paid Even on Days You Didn't Work Have you ever gotten your first part-time paycheck, checked your account, and been surprised? There was more money in there than your hourly wage times the hours you worked. I was the same way six months ago. I thought my boss had sent it by mistake and asked, and they said, "That's weekly holiday pay." That was the first time I ever found out what that was. Article 55 of Korea's Labor Standards Act says that if you work the set number of days, one day should be counted as a "paid holiday." It's a day off, but you still get paid. If you worked every single day of the week, your body couldn't take it, so the law guarantees you at least one paid day off. So as long as the conditions are met, your boss can't just decide not to give it to you. ## Can I get it too? There are two conditions. You just need to work 15 hours or more a week and show up on all your scheduled work days. Be careful—if you miss a day because you're sick, you might not get it for that week. The formula is "weekly working hours ÷ 40 × 8 × hourly wage." If you work 20 hours a week, that means you get an extra day's pay worth of hourly wage times 8 hours. ## How to check First check whether your pay stub has a separate "weekly holiday allowance" line item. If you can't find it, it's okay to ask your boss directly. You can check the latest minimum wage and the exact calculation method on the Ministry of Employment and Labor website. Once you know, you'll realize that this extra money you get a little more of each week isn't just a bonus — it's actually your right all along.