Being dismissed in Korea
30 days' notice, in writing, or it does not count
Dismissal needs just cause, 30 days' notice or 30 days of ordinary wage instead, and written notice of the reason and date.
Pay & work
Category · 14 posts
Annual paid leave in Korea
you earn a day a month before your first year is up
15 days after a year with 80% attendance, and one day per full month worked before that. Three years of service adds a day every two years, capped at 25.
Your Korean employment contract
what must be written down and handed to you
Article 17 requires wages, hours, holidays and annual leave in a written document given to you, and again whenever they change.
Korean health insurance
what foreigners pay, and the one part you can opt out of
Employees pay 4.0674% of monthly pay and enrolment is automatic. E-9, E-10, H-2, D-3 and E-8 holders can apply to drop long-term care insurance.
Income tax in Korea
the rate table, and why the 19% flat rate is usually a trap
Stay 183 days and you are a resident, taxed exactly like a Korean on the same table. The 19% flat option for foreigners applies to gross pay and strips every.
Korea's minimum wage
which parts of your pay actually count towards it
A contract below the minimum is void and replaced by the legal minimum. Overtime premiums do not count towards the minimum wage at all.
What Korea takes out of your pay
and why the pension line grows every year
2026 employee rates: pension 5%, health 3.595%, care 0.4724%, employment 0.9%. Industrial accident costs you nothing. The pension rate rises yearly to 2029.
Working hours and overtime in Korea
the limits bind the employer
40 hours a week and 8 hours a day, with overtime capped at 12 hours a week even by agreement.
Your payslip and unpaid wages
the document they must give you, and the 3-year clock
Since 2021 employers must hand you an itemised payslip in writing every payday, and unpaid wages expire after three years.
Getting your Korean pension back
three routes, and only one is about your visa
The Act excludes foreigners from lump-sum refunds, then reopens it three ways: reciprocity, treaty, or holding E-9 or H-2. Any one is enough.
Severance pay in Korea
who gets it, how much, and when it must be paid
One year of service and 15 hours a week qualify you. The formula is 30 days of average wage per year, payable within 14 days of leaving.
Unemployment benefit in Korea
who qualifies, how much, and the E-9 catch
E-9/H-2 workers qualify only if they applied in advance — Article 10-2. You need 180 insured days in 18 months and a non-voluntary exit. 60% rate, 120–270 days.
Work injury compensation in Korea
the Act never asks your nationality
Cover applies to every workplace with employees and has no nationality condition. The employer pays the whole premium; you get 70% of average wage.
Workplace harassment in Korea
what the law makes your employer do about it
Anyone may report it, and the employer must investigate without delay, protect you during the investigation, and act on the finding.