What this is
A free guide to Korean rules for people who live and work in Korea — which visas allow work, what extension costs, how the four insurances are calculated, what you get back when you leave.
We do not just give numbers. Every page names the statute and the year it applies to. A number on its own tells you nothing about whether it is right.
Why in English
Korean law on wages, insurance and residence applies regardless of nationality. But the information exists almost only in Korean, written in the administrative register that Koreans themselves find hard to read.
English is the working language for people from many countries here — the Philippines, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and others. One page in English reaches all of them.
How we write
- Every rule carries the Korean article number and the date the edition took effect
- We read the statutes on law.go.kr ourselves. We do not cite blogs or agencies
- If we could not verify a figure, we do not print it — we say so and tell you who to call
- Korean terms stay in brackets — 체류기간 연장, 외국인등록증 — so you can match them against the actual forms and payslips
- Where two provisions point different ways, we show both rather than pick one
What we don't do
This is not legal advice. We explain and calculate. Your particular case is decided by the competent authority.
When you need one of them, these are free:
1345 Foreigner information centre — visa, residence
1350 Ministry of Employment and Labor — wages, severance, accidents
1355 National Pension Service — lump-sum refund
1577-1000 National Health Insurance Service
1588-0075 Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service