1. Employment activities of foreigners
Foreigners can work within the scope of their residence qualifications depending on their visa type. Not all foreigners can work, and residence qualifications are divided into 'qualifications for employment' and 'qualifications for not being able to work.'
Residence qualifications that allow employment
Short-term employment (C-4), professional skills (E-1~7), non-professional employment (E-9), seaman employment (E-10), tourist employment (H-1), visiting employment (H-2), residence (F-2), overseas Koreans (F-4), permanent residence (F-5), marriage immigration (F-6), etc.
Employment and Labor
※ This content was written with reference to the publication ‘Seoul Living Guide for Foreigners, Korean Edition’ published by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
3. Residence qualifications that allow employment with permission
-
Those with the following residence statuses must obtain permission to engage in activities outside of their residence status in order to engage in legal employment. For further inquiries, please call ☏1345 or visit Hi Korea (www.hikorea.go.kr).
1) Part-time job for study abroad (D-2), language training (D-4-1, D-4-7)
-
Basic principle: Limited to part-time employment activities (simple labor, etc.) that students usually engage in.
2) Visiting and living together (F-1), accompanying (F-3)
-
Among the above qualification holders, those who meet certain requirements, such as having employment qualifications, can be employed through a residence permit for professor (E-1) to specific activities (E-7).
2. Employment procedures by residence status
1) Short-term employment (C-4)
-
Within 90 days of activity. Possible for temporary entertainment activities, advertising, fashion modeling, lectures, speeches, research, and technical guidance within the country.
2) Specialized skills (E-1~7)
You must meet the qualification requirements for each residence status.
Licensed physicians and nurses must obtain approval from the Minister.
Applicants for an E-2 visa must submit a criminal record certificate, a self-health certificate, and a degree certificate. Upon entering the country and registering as an alien, they must submit an 'Employment Physical Examination Report Including Drug Test Results' issued by a medical institution designated by the Minister of Justice.
3) Residence (F-2)
-
Foreigners who have invested more than USD 500,000 and stayed continuously for more than 3 years with a corporate investment (D-8) visa, foreigners who have invested more than USD 300,000 and hired more than 2 Korean nationals, real estate investment immigrants and their spouses and minor children, spouses of permanent residents, and those who have been recognized as refugees are eligible to work.
4) Overseas Koreans (F-4)
-
Employment activities other than simple labor or gambling are permitted for three years.
5) Permanent Residence (F-5)
-
There are no restrictions on the scope of domestic employment activities.
6) Tourism employment (H-1)
-
As a person seeking short-term employment, the period of stay is the period of stay stipulated in the agreement.
7) Non-professional employment (E-9)
After entering the country, you must complete job training before being assigned to a workplace and sign up for return expense insurance and accident insurance.
An employment contract may be concluded or renewed upon agreement between the parties within the three-year employment period. (However, family members may not be brought along during the employment period.)
If the employer applies for re-employment at least 7 days before the expiration of the employment period, the employee may continue to work for up to 1 year and 10 months without leaving the country, but only once (for those with an employment contract period of 1 month or longer).
In principle, foreign workers are required to work at the first workplace they enter the country.
However, a change of workplace is possible in the following cases:
If the employer attempts to terminate the employment contract for a reasonable cause or refuses to renew the employment contract after it expires
In cases where it is recognized that work cannot continue at the workplace due to reasons not attributable to the foreign worker, such as suspension or closure of business
If the foreign worker's employment permit is canceled or employment restrictions are imposed on the business where the worker is working
In cases where the working conditions at the workplace are different from the terms of the employment contract, or where it is difficult to maintain the employment contract due to unfair treatment by the employer, such as violation of working conditions
In cases where a foreign worker is deemed unfit to continue working at the business or workplace due to injury or other reasons, or is deemed capable of working at a different business or workplace, the foreign worker must apply for employment within 1 month of leaving the previous business and must find new employment within 3 months from the date of application for employment.
In principle, you can change your workplace up to three times within the permitted employment period (up to three years) after your first entry into the country. If the employment period is extended due to re-employment, you can change your workplace up to two times within the extended period. However, if the reason for changing your workplace is “business closure or other reasons not attributable to the foreign worker, making it impossible to continue working at that workplace,” it will not be counted as the number of workplace changes.
8) Visiting Employment (H-2)
First, you must complete job training at an educational institution designated by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and then apply for a job at an employment center. You can then request job placement or engage in job search activities on your own. However, you can only work at workplaces designated by the Minister of Employment and Labor, and you must report the start of work or change of workplace to your local immigration office within 14 days of starting work.
Job training
Regardless of the degree, alien registration must be reported to the regional immigration office/foreigner office in charge of the place of stay within 90 days of entering Korea. ■ However, in order for visiting employment compatriots to get a job in the 'construction industry', they must go through procedures such as application for employment registration and employment training and receive a 'Construction Industry Employment Recognition Certificate'.
4. Labor Law
-
Foreign workers living in Korea are protected by the same labor laws as Korean workers. More information on labor laws can be obtained from the Ministry of Employment and Labor (www.moel.go.kr [Korean, English]).
1) Working hours
Statutory working hours are 8 hours per day, excluding break times, and 40 hours per week.
Women who have not completed one year of postpartum work cannot work overtime exceeding 2 hours per day, 6 hours per week, and 150 hours per year, and pregnant female workers cannot work overtime.
When having a woman aged 18 or older work at night (from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day) or on holidays, the worker's consent is required.
For overtime work, night work, and holiday work, an additional 50% of the regular wage is paid.
A 30-minute break is provided for every 4 hours of work, and a 1-hour break is provided for every 8 hours of work.
2) Wages
The minimum wage in 2024 is 9,860 won (hourly).
Employers must pay workers' wages by check or cash. Also, if workers request payment in advance before the due date, they must pay wages already worked.
Unpaid wages can be resolved by filing a complaint with the local labor office or through civil procedures.
3) Vacation
Workers who have worked for more than one year and have an attendance rate of more than 80% are granted 15 days of paid vacation.
Workers with less than one year of service are granted one day of paid vacation for every month of work.
Periods of absence due to work-related injury, illness, maternity leave, or miscarriage or death leave are recognized as work hours.
Female workers can request menstrual leave (unpaid) on the 1st day of each month.
5. Four major social insurances
Foreign workers are also covered by the four major social insurances (industrial accident compensation insurance, national health insurance, employment insurance, and national pension).
National Pension, National Health Insurance, and Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance are mandatory. Employment Insurance is mandatory for some foreigners depending on their residence status, and optional for others.
After registering as a member of the 4 Major Social Insurance Information Center (www.4insure.or.kr), you can obtain various information.
Employers and foreign workers must subscribe to departure expiration insurance, return expense insurance, guarantee insurance, and accident insurance.
6. Support and Information Center for Foreign Workers
1) Seoul Foreign Resident Support Center Free expert consultation service
Legal Consultation: Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun 14:00-17:00 (Civil, Criminal, Domestic, Lease, Litigation, etc.)
Labor Counseling: Tue, Thu 14:00-17:00 (Wage arrears, severance pay, industrial accidents, unfair dismissal, sexual harassment/bullying in the workplace, etc.) ☏ 02-2229-4911 or hotline@sfrc.seoul.kr
2) Seoul Foreign Workers Center
-
It provides short-term shelters for temporary protection in emergency situations for foreign workers and their families, as well as services necessary for adaptation to Korean society, such as counseling, education, and culture.
3) Ministry of Employment and Labor
This department handles related tasks such as wage arrears and unfair dismissal.
Ministry of Employment and Labor FAQ: minwon.moel.go.kr
Ministry of Employment and Labor Comprehensive Counseling Center ☏1350 (Foreign Language Counseling 5)
4) Seoul Bar Association
The Seoul Bar Association provides free legal advice to foreign workers through consultations.
Free legal consultation place for foreigners
.png)
7. Employment and employment sites
1) Seoul Foreign Resident Support Center Free expert consultation service
