South Korea will overhaul its unemployment insurance system next year, raising the premium rate from 1.8% to 2.0% and requiring workers and employers to contribute 1.0% of wages each. For an employee earning 3 million won a month, the monthly premium will rise from 27,000 won to 30,000 won. Job-seeking benefits will be paid on a six-day rather than seven-day weekly basis, reducing monthly payments while leaving total entitlement days and total payouts unchanged. Based on the 2027 minimum wage, the monthly minimum benefit will be about 1.76 million won; a 150-day claimant currently receiving 1.98 million won monthly for five months would receive the same 9.9 million won over roughly 5.8 months at about 1.7 million won monthly under the example provided. The calculation base will shift from the three-month average wage before separation to one-year average monthly compensation, while the benefit ceiling will be linked to 103% of the floor. The early reemployment allowance exclusion threshold will fall from 5.74 million won to 3 million won in monthly earnings. Eligibility will move from a 60-hour monthly work requirement to monthly compensation of at least 800,000 won, initially covering four occupations. A work-family balance account will be created from 2028, separating maternity protection spending from unemployment benefits. The government expects the reforms and employment-service measures to reduce spending by about 1.4 trillion won, while general-account transfers will rise 50% to 900 billion won next year.