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How to report unpaid wagesThe steps to collect evidence and file a complaint (진정) with 고용노동부 (Ministry of Employment and Labor), and how long it takes.
›🛂E-7-4 Skilled Worker Visa: Requirements and Points SystemIf you worked 4 years or more on E-9, you can change to a long-term work visa by getting 200 out of 300 points.
›🛂Changing Workplace – Reasons, Steps, and Number of TimesThe reasons and number of times you can change your company, and the 1-month and 3-month deadlines.
›🧮 Calculators
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💰 Wages20
How many days of annual leave do I get — how to count it and annual leave pay★In your first year, you get 1 day for each full month you work. After 1 year, you get 15 days. You get paid for leave days you do not use.
›Annual leave that disappears at year-end: if your company does not set the dates in writing by October 31, you get paid for it★Annual leave you do not use disappears after 1 year. But if your company did not follow the written 'leave use promotion' steps, you get annual leave pay instead.
›Check in 30 Seconds if Your Pay Meets the Minimum Wage (One Number to Find on Your Payslip)★How to compare one line on your payslip, your basic pay before deductions, with 2,156,880 won.
›2026 Chuseok holidays (Sep 24–26): how much you get if you work, and what happens to your pay if you rest★The 2026 Chuseok holidays are from Thursday, September 24 to Saturday, September 26. Monday, September 28 is NOT a substitute holiday. At workplaces with 5 or more workers, these days are paid holidays, so your pay is not cut if you rest. If you work, you get 150% of your ordinary wage for up to 8 hours. These rules do not apply to farming and livestock work.
›How to Get Departure Guarantee Insurance and Return Cost Insurance★The 4 special insurances for foreign workers, how they are different, and the steps to get your insurance money when you leave Korea.
›Taking late fines, work clothes costs, or damage payments out of your pay is illegal★Your employer may take only two things out of your pay: taxes and insurance that the law requires, and housing and meal costs that you agreed to in writing.
›2026 Minimum Wage and How to Calculate Your Monthly Pay★How to calculate your monthly pay, weekly holiday pay, and the probation pay cut, based on the 2026 hourly wage of 10,320원.
›Did you work on October 5 or 9? What to check on your October payslip★In 2026, October 5 (Monday) and October 9 (Friday) are public holidays. If you worked on these days, your payslip must show a 'holiday work' item.
›How to Calculate Overtime, Night Work and Holiday Work Pay★How to calculate extra pay: 50% for overtime, 50% for night work, and 50-100% for holiday work, based on an hourly wage of 10,320원.
›Read your 급여명세서 (payslip) line by line — you can get back missing pay and wrong deductions★How to check each pay line and each deduction line, one by one, to find missing allowances and money taken by mistake.
›Paid only 90% because you are on probation? This does not apply to simple manual work on an E-9 visa★Simple manual workers must get 100% of the minimum wage, even during probation (수습). If you got only 90%, you are missing 215,688원 every month.
›Severance Pay (퇴직금): How to Calculate It and How to Get It★If you work for 1 year or more, you get severance pay. This guide shows how to calculate it, and how to claim the difference when your 출국만기보험 (Departure Guarantee Insurance) pays less.
›When Your Boss Does Not Give You a Payslip: How to Build Evidence of Unpaid Wages Without One★Not giving you a payslip is itself against the law. Collect evidence from your bank account, contract, work photos, and messages.
›How to report unpaid wages★The steps to collect evidence and file a complaint (진정) with 고용노동부 (Ministry of Employment and Labor), and how long it takes.
›Working on Chuseok and Seollal Public Holidays, Holiday Pay, and Home LeaveAt a workplace with 5 or more workers, public holidays are paid holidays. If you work on one, you get at least 1.5 times your pay.
›Sent home because 'there is no work' and the time was recorded as early leave or annual leave? — You can get 휴업수당 (shutdown allowance)If the company sends you home because there is no work, that time can be treated as a shutdown (휴업). As a rule, you choose the dates of your own annual leave.
›Your pay dropped in the last 3 months before you quit? Your severance pay is still at least based on your ordinary wageSeverance pay is calculated from your average wage of the last 3 months. If your daily average wage is lower than your ordinary wage, your ordinary wage is used instead.
›Even if you are sent home because there is no work, you still get 70% as a shutdown allowanceWhen you cannot work because of the company's situation, you should get 70% of your average wage. It is not unpaid leave.
›4 Major Social Insurances (4대보험) Explained — What Is Taken Out of Your Monthly PayThis guide explains how the National Pension, Health Insurance, Employment Insurance and Industrial Accident Insurance apply to foreign workers.
›One number – 3 years: After 3 years, it is hard to claim unpaid wages and 퇴직금 (severance pay)Your right to claim wages and severance pay ends after 3 years. This guide explains when the 3 years start and what to do before you leave Korea.
›🏥 Injury & health8
When Your Boss Says "Let's Not Use Sanjae, Let's Settle It Privately": You Can Apply for Sanjae Yourself★You do not need your boss's permission to apply for sanjae (industrial accident insurance). It is a crime for a boss to hide a work injury or to punish you for applying.
›Health Insurance: How to Join, How Much You Pay, and How to Use It at the Hospital★E-9 workers join health insurance automatically through their workplace. If you do not pay your premiums, you may have problems when you extend your visa.
›How to Go to a Hospital in Korea and Get an Interpreter★Which hospital to go to, how much it costs, and where to get an interpreter.
›How to Get a Medical Certificate (진단서): Which Department to Visit and What to Ask the Doctor to Write★How to get a medical certificate for changing workplace, industrial accident claims, or pausing your job-search period: the steps, what to say to the doctor, how it differs from a doctor's opinion letter, and the maximum fees.
›How to Apply for Industrial Accident Insurance (산재) When You Get Hurt at Work★You can apply for industrial accident insurance (산재) yourself, even if your company does not allow it. You can get your medical costs paid and get money for the days you cannot work.
›If You Fell on Ice on the Way to Work: A Commuting Accident Can Be 산재 (Work Injury)If you get hurt while going to or from work on foot, by bicycle or by bus, it can count as 산재 (work injury). It can count even if the accident was partly your fault.
›To do in October: Flu shot and free health checkup (December gets busy)The health checkup for workplace health insurance members costs 0 won. Get it before December. October is the best time for a flu shot.
›Workplace Safety: Your Rights and What to Do After an AccidentYou have the right to stop work when it is dangerous. Your company must give you safety gear and safety training.
›🛂 Visa24
When your 4 years 10 months end: a decision table for 4 options★Answer 5 questions to find your path: sincere worker re-entry, E-7-4, regional visa, or taking the EPS test again.
›'It has been 3 months and I still have no 외국인등록증' — Check that you applied within 90 days and check the progress★First check the date you applied, not the card. Check the progress. Until the card comes, you can use your passport.
›Checklist: Before You Come to Korea and Your First Month in Korea (for E-9 Workers from Nepal)★What to prepare in Nepal and what to do in your first 30 days in Korea, step by step.
›E-7-4 200 Points: The Order to Raise Your Score Within 1 Year★Korean 50 points takes about one month with the pre-assessment. A craftsman certificate (20 points) takes about half a year. We put the fastest items first in a 12-month plan.
›E-7-4 Skilled Worker Visa: Requirements and Points System★If you worked 4 years or more on E-9, you can change to a long-term work visa by getting 200 out of 300 points.
›E-9 Stay Extension and Re-employment (4 Years 10 Months in Total)★If your employer applies for re-employment before your 3 years end, you can work for 1 year and 10 months more.
›When your employer says "I will not re-hire you" (재고용)★Re-employment is something the employer applies for, so the employer can refuse. But the end of your contract is a reason to change workplaces, and a new company can apply for your re-employment.
›How Fines and Penalties Affect Your Visa★A criminal fine (벌금) is a criminal punishment. It can block E-7-4 and permanent residence. An administrative fine (과태료) or a traffic penalty (범칙금) does not give you a criminal record.
›Unpaid Health Insurance Can Block Your Visa Extension: The Job-Search Trap★If you have unpaid health insurance, your stay extension is limited to 6 months or less. Do not miss the regional insurance fees that start between jobs.
›When you are sick and want to change workplaces: Health reasons and a medical certificate (진단서), no employer consent needed★If your work makes you sick, you can apply to change workplaces with a medical certificate. You do not need your employer's consent. This change counts toward your limit of changes.
›When Your Stay Period Ends During Industrial Accident Treatment: Staying on G-1 and Returning After You Recover★If you are receiving treatment for a work injury, you can continue your stay with Other (G-1) status. When treatment ends, you can return to E-9 within your remaining work period.
›How to Read Your 구직등록필증 (Job Seeker Registration Certificate): Your Visa Date and Your Job-Search Period Are Different★The two dates on your 구직등록필증 show how much time you have. Even if your residence card still shows time left on your stay, you must leave Korea when your job-search period ends.
›What Happens If You Overstay: The Real Costs in Numbers and Legal Alternatives★This guide shows in numbers what you pay and what you lose if you stay past your permitted period, and explains 3 legal ways to stay in Korea.
›Unpaid wages but your stay period is ending: staying to get paid, or leaving and still getting paid★If your complaint or lawsuit is still going on, you can stay in Korea with Other (G-1) status. If you leave Korea, you can still get your money through a representative.
›Changing Workplace – Reasons, Steps, and Number of Times★The reasons and number of times you can change your company, and the 1-month and 3-month deadlines.
›Reissuing Your Residence Card (외국인등록증) and Reporting a Change of AddressIf you lose your residence card, apply for a new one within 14 days. If you move, report your new address within 15 days.
›Leaving Korea and Coming Back After Your E-9 Stay EndsBefore you go home, collect all the money you are owed, and plan your way back to Korea in advance.
›E-7-4 after changing workplaces: If you prove the change was not your fault, you can add your previous company's time to reach 1 yearThe basic rule is 1 year at your new company. But if you prove you moved because of closure, unpaid wages or a similar reason, you can add the time from your previous company.
›If Your Boss Refuses to Recommend You for E-7-4, There Are Other Legal WaysE-7-4 needs a recommendation from your company. Show your boss exactly what the company must do. If they still say no, find another legal way.
›Regional Visas (F-2-R, E-7-4R) and the Path to Long-Term StayIf you live and work in an area with a shrinking population, you can get a long-term visa with easier requirements.
›Not a Sincere Worker? How to Try EPS Again After Going HomeIf you left Korea at least 6 months ago, are 39 or younger and have never stayed illegally, you can start again with the EPS-TOPIK. There is also a special exam just for returnees.
›Sincere Worker Re-entry Program (Come Back to Work 1 Month After Leaving Korea)After you finish 4 years and 10 months of work, you leave Korea and can come back to the same company after only 1 month.
›Checklist for a short trip to Nepal (E-9: while working, while looking for a job, or while getting treatment)A short trip abroad is not the same as leaving Korea for good. This guide shows the steps: do not return your registration card, do not claim your insurance, and come back before your deadline.
›You can apply to change workplace at the 고용센터 in your company's area or online: rules for moving to a company in another regionApply at the 고용센터 in your company's area or through EPS. If you entered Korea in or after September 2023, you move only within your region and industry.
›🏠 Daily life23
Bank apps and easy money transfer apps that foreigners can use★Some banks let you open an account in an app if you have a 외국인등록증 (Alien Registration Card) and a Korean mobile phone in your own name.
›7 Things to Do Before the Chuseok Holiday (for E-9 Nepali Workers, September 24–26, 2026)★During the holiday, bank counters, the 1350 and 1345 helplines, and company cafeterias are closed. This guide shows you, step by step, how to take care of money transfers, hospitals, unpaid wages, meals, work schedules, tickets and emergency numbers before the holiday.
›How to Protect Your Deposit and Get It Back★Before the contract, check the 등기부등본 (property register). When you move out, tell the landlord in time. If you do not get your deposit back, start with a 내용증명 (certified letter).
›Finding a Monthly-Rent Studio (One-Room)★Look at the deposit, monthly rent and maintenance fee separately. Check the property register before you sign. Report your change of address within 15 days after you move.
›How to Get a Mobile Phone and Choose a Plan★If you have an 외국인등록증 (Alien Registration Card), you can get a postpaid plan. If you only have a passport, you get a prepaid plan. If you lend your name to someone else, you can be punished.
›How to Get a Prepaid Phone with Only Your Passport★Before you get your 외국인등록증 (Residence Card), you can open a prepaid SIM with your passport and use it for the first month.
›Sending Money Home: Comparing Ways to Send Money★Do not look only at the fee. Add the exchange rate and compare the total. Always send in your own name, through a registered company.
›When a phone call in Korean is hard: real-time interpreter calls and how to let someone handle price and date bargaining for youSome calls cannot be done with the free interpreter numbers, such as calls to your landlord, a moving company or a hospital. This guide explains how to let an AI handle these calls as an interpreter or a negotiator, and what it cannot do.
›Opening a Bank Account and Getting a Debit CardYou can open an account if you bring your 근로계약서 (employment contract) or 재직증명서 (certificate of employment). If you lend your bankbook to someone, you can get up to 5 years in prison.
›A bank account opened with your passport: once you get your 외국인등록증, change the number and start using mobile bankingOn the day you take your 외국인등록증 and passport to the bank to change your ID number, you can also sign up for the bank app and ask the bank to remove your transfer limit.
›Sending Money for Dashain: Avoid These Dates — October Holidays, Bank Closures and Remittance ScamsBanks are closed in Korea on October 5 and 9, and in Nepal from October 17 to 23. Send your Dashain money early.
›Dormitory Standards and Rules for Deducting Housing and Meal CostsHousing inside a vinyl greenhouse is not allowed. Your employer needs your written consent to take housing and meal costs from your pay.
›How to Write My Name in Korean (Hangul Spelling of Nepali Names)Official papers use the English spelling in your passport. Your Korean (Hangul) name is only for daily life.
›When It Is Hard to Make a Phone Call in Korean: Interpreter Phone Lines and Services That Call for YouInterpreter phone numbers, Korean sentence cards, and an AI assistant that makes calls for you. Use them when you need to call a hospital, your landlord, or a government office in Korean.
›Living on the minimum wage for one month: how much is left after insurance, tax and dormitory costsIn 2026, after insurance and tax are taken out of the minimum monthly wage, about 2,020,000–2,040,000원 is left (example for a Nepali worker).
›Missed call from an unknown Korean number — you can check it and call back safelyIt is okay to call back. If they talk about money, verification codes or installing an app, hang up. Then check by calling an official number that you found yourself.
›What You Can Do at the Embassy of Nepal in KoreaPassport renewal and lost passports, power of attorney, birth and death registration, and help from the Labour Counsellor. Consular services are open on weekdays from 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM.
›Saving Money with Installment Savings and Deposits, and When to Send Money HomeDeposits are protected up to 100,000,000 원 per financial company. 15.4% tax is taken from interest.
›How to Use Transport Cards, the Subway, Buses and the KTXOne transport card works on both the subway and buses. Tap your card when you get off too, or you lose the transfer discount.
›If your housing is cold or inside a vinyl greenhouse: you can ask for heating repairs, and you can also change workplacesThe company must provide heating equipment in your housing. Housing inside a vinyl greenhouse is a reason to change workplaces.
›Year-End Tax Settlement and Tax RefundHow to get back extra tax through the year-end tax settlement (연말정산) in January–February, and how to choose the 19% flat tax rate
›Getting a Driver's License and Exchanging a Foreign LicenseThe 1-year limit for an international driving permit, how to exchange a foreign license, and the steps to get a new license in Korea
›How to Buy a Flight Ticket Home to Nepal or for a Holiday (Incheon↔Kathmandu)Direct and connecting flights, when prices go up, how to compare the total price, fake ticket scams, and what to do when you leave Korea for a short time.
›✊ Rights19
'I will send you back to Nepal' — Your boss cannot decide that you leave Korea, and you can change companies★Your boss cannot decide that you must leave Korea. Even if your contract ends, you can apply to change workplaces within 1 month.
›When Your Boss Threatens to "Report You as a Runaway": The Rules and What to Do★Your boss can make a runaway report only if you miss work for 5 days or more without permission, or if nobody knows where you are. If you keep going to work and keep records, the threat loses its power.
›How to Check Your 근로계약서 (Employment Contract)★What is in the standard employment contract, what to check before you sign, and what to do when the contract and your real job are different
›A dangerous company where you keep getting hurt: you can apply for a workplace change — when it is accepted and how to keep evidence★If you were hurt because your company broke the safety law, this can be a reason to change workplaces that does not count toward your number of changes.
›'Don't come to work from tomorrow' — If you get no notice 30 days before, you get 30 days of ordinary wages★If you are fired suddenly, ask for dismissal notice pay. Do not sign a resignation letter.
›When Your Boss Forces You to Sign a Resignation Letter: What You Lose If You Sign and What to Do Before Signing★You do not have to write a resignation letter. If you sign one, it can count as quitting on your own. You may then lose out on changing workplaces, dismissal notice pay and unemployment benefits.
›All Places to Get Help — Phone Numbers and Languages★When you have a problem, this page shows you where to call. All the numbers are in one place.
›When You Don't Know Where to Call: How to Use 1345, 1350, 1577-0071, 132 and 1588-0075★For each number: when to call, what to say first, and how to ask for an interpreter.
›Your contract says monthly pay, but in Korea you get hourly pay — you can get the difference, and you may be able to change workplaces★Even at a workplace with fewer than 5 workers, the amount in the contract you signed before coming to Korea is what counts. Here is how to report the unpaid difference and how to change workplaces.
›Taking Your Passport or Alien Registration Card Is Illegal★If your employer takes your passport or registration card, they can be punished. How to get it back and where to report
›Voice phishing, loan scams and lending your bank account: how not to get tricked★Phone calls from people who say they are from immigration or the police are scams. If you lend your bank account to someone, you will be punished.
›'Go work on my other farm' — Even with the same boss, you can say no to work outside your contract★Even if your boss owns it, do not work at a farm or factory that is not in your contract. Check with 1577-0071 or 고용센터 first.
›Side jobs and delivery work are illegal on an E-9 visa★If you work outside your approved workplace, you can get a fine (범칙금) and you can be deported.
›My Company Has Fewer Than 5 Workers — What I Can Still Get, and What I Cannot★Even with fewer than 5 workers, the rules on minimum wage, weekly paid holiday, severance pay, dismissal notice and reporting unpaid wages are the same. Extra pay (1.5x) and annual leave do not apply.
›If You Are Hit, Verbally Abused, or Sexually Harassed at Work★How to stay safe and call 112, collect evidence, change workplaces, and file a complaint or criminal report
›If your company is sold, your job usually continues — you can get unpaid wages through 대지급금 (substitute payment)If your company is sold, your job and your work period usually continue. Keep your complaint open, and you can apply for 대지급금 (substitute payment).
›Want to Go Home for Dashain? You Choose the Dates of Your Annual LeaveYou choose the dates of your annual leave and ask for them. If you want to go home for Dashain, ask by text message a few weeks before.
›Job Center referrals: how to choose a company and what happens if you say noWhen you get a referral text, first check the industry, workplace location, dormitory and wage. Saying no does not give you penalty points, but your 3-month job search period keeps running.
›Tihar 2026: Laxmi Puja on November 8, Bhai Tika on November 11 — When to Ask for Annual Leave and When to Send MoneyTihar is not a holiday in Korea. Ask for annual leave now, and send money by Thursday, November 5.
›📚 Learning6
Get 20 Bonus Points for E-7-4 with a 기능사 (Craftsman) Certificate★Anyone can take a 기능사 (Craftsman) exam. There are no rules about education or work experience. Just one certificate adds 20 points to your E-7-4 score.
›Korean Language Tests — How EPS-TOPIK and TOPIK Are DifferentThe difference between the test for coming to Korea and the test for visas and study, plus test dates, fees, and free ways to study.
›How to Find Free Korean ClassesThere are many ways to learn Korean without paying. You can learn while you work, in weekend classes, evening classes, or online.
›Korea Immigration and Integration Program (KIIP): Levels, Costs, and BenefitsA guide to the Ministry of Justice course where you learn Korean and also earn points for your visa.
›Studying Korean While Working in Korea — E-7-4 Points, TOPIK, Social Integration ProgramHow to get your E-7-4 Korean language points through TOPIK or the Social Integration Program (KIIP), which free materials to use first, and what to check when you buy a book.
›30 Essential Korean Sentences for the Workplace30 sentences for safety, your health, working conditions, and basic answers.
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