When Your Boss Threatens to "Report You as a Runaway": The Rules and What to Do

When does this apply to you?

It applies when you hear things like this:

• "If you say you want to change companies, I will report you as a runaway."
• "If you go to the Labor Ministry about your wages, I will make you an illegal resident."
• "If you take a day off because you are sick, I will report it as absence without permission."
• "Write a resignation letter and leave. If you don't, I will report you."

Most of these words are pressure to stop you from changing workplaces, filing a wage complaint, or applying for industrial accident compensation (money and care for injuries at work). If you change companies because of the employer's fault, such as unpaid wages, violence, or breaking the contract, it does not count toward your limit of workplace changes. You can find the details in Changing workplace – reasons, process, number of changes.

What happens if a report is made?

1. The employer makes an employment change report to the 고용센터 (직업안정기관, the public job placement office). The deadline is within 15 days from the day the employer learns of the reason.
2. If the 고용센터 accepts the report, the information is sent to the 출입국·외국인관서 (Immigration Office) (Act, Article 17).
3. If your immigration record says "whereabouts unknown" (소재불명), you may have problems when your visa status is reviewed or when you ask for permission to change workplace. If you really go into hiding, your visa status can be canceled even if your stay period has not ended yet.

The key point is not the report itself, but whether the facts "absence without permission" or "whereabouts unknown" are true. If they are not true, you can challenge the report.

Steps — starting from the day you are threatened

1. Keep going to work. Going to work is the strongest evidence. Keep entry records, photos of yourself at work (showing the workplace and the date), and confirmation from co-workers.
2. If you need to take time off, tell your boss in writing. For sick leave or annual leave, send the dates and the reason by text message or KakaoTalk. Get a 진단서 (medical certificate) or 진료확인서 (proof of medical treatment) and keep it. Do not tell your boss only by phone.
3. Write down the threats. Take screenshots of messages. If the threat was spoken, write down the date, time, place, and the exact words right away. You may record a conversation if you are one of the people in that conversation.
4. Tell the 고용센터 first. Go to your local 고용센터 and say, "My boss says he will make a false runaway report." Make sure they keep a record of this counseling. If you call the 외국인력상담센터 (Foreign Workforce Counseling Center) at 1577-0071, you can explain the situation in a 3-way call with an interpreter.
5. As soon as you learn a report was filed, raise an objection. Give the 고용센터 your proof of going to work and your messages, and ask them to cancel the report. Also explain to the 출입국·외국인관서 (1345) that your whereabouts are known. If your address has changed, first take care of your 전입신고 (address change report).
6. Handle the original problem (wages, changing workplace) separately. For unpaid wages, follow How to report unpaid wages. For violence or verbal abuse, follow Dealing with violence, verbal abuse, and sexual harassment. A threat of a runaway report can be used as proof of "unfair treatment," which is a reason allowed for changing workplace.

What to prepare

• Proof that you go to work: entry records, work schedule, photos at work, co-workers' contact numbers
• Messages where you told your boss about leave or sick leave, 진단서 (medical certificate) and 진료확인서 (proof of medical treatment)
• Screenshots of threatening messages, notes by date
• 근로계약서 (employment contract), 외국인등록증 (Alien Registration Card), 급여명세서 (pay slip)
• Records of your counseling at the 고용센터 (write down the date and the name of the staff member)

Be careful

• Do not write a resignation letter. If you write one, it means "I quit by my own choice." This can block your way to change workplaces because of the employer's fault. If the company tells you to quit, ask for a written dismissal notice (해고 통지서).
• Do not sign a "voluntary departure" agreement, a blank paper, or any paper written only in Korean. If you do not understand the content, say, "I will sign after I read it with an interpreter."
• Do not leave the dormitory. Even if the boss tells you to take your things out, stay reachable until you have a place to go. If people cannot reach you, it helps the boss claim you are "whereabouts unknown."
• If you must leave the company, write down the date. You must apply to the 고용센터 for a workplace change within 1 month from the day your employment contract ends. If you wait because you fear the report, you will miss the deadline.
• It is illegal for the company to take your passport or Alien Registration Card. Taking your passport or Alien Registration Card is illegal
• Making a false employment change report is an act for which the employer must pay a fine (과태료, administrative fine). In many cases, the boss stops just because you calmly tell them this.

Frequently asked questions

Q. My boss says a report has already been filed. Am I now an illegal resident? A. No. Even if a report is filed, you are still a registered foreigner as long as your stay period has not ended. But a "whereabouts unknown" record can cause problems during reviews. So raise an objection with the 고용센터 right away and give them proof that you went to work. In practice, the 고용센터 sometimes cancels the report if you return to work within a short time or if the facts turn out to be different.

Q. I was sick and rested for 3 days, but my boss calls it absence without permission. A. If you told your boss in advance and you have a medical certificate, it is not "absence without a proper procedure." It is also less than 5 days. Show your messages and medical certificate to the 고용센터.

Q. My boss does not pay my wages and says, "If you report me, I will report you as a runaway." A. You can file a wage complaint no matter what your visa status is. From November 6, 2025, foreigners who report unpaid wages are not reported to immigration. File a complaint and give the threatening messages together with it.

Q. It seems the 고용센터 only listens to my boss. A. If you think the decision is wrong, you can request an administrative appeal (행정심판, a request to a government review board to change the decision). If you were unfairly dismissed, you can also apply for relief at the 노동위원회 (Labor Relations Commission). If you ask a migrant worker support group or call 1577-0071, they can explain the process.

Where to get help

Organization	Phone	What they help with
외국인력상담센터 (Foreign Workforce Counseling Center)	1577-0071	Problems under the Employment Permit System, 3-way calls with an interpreter
외국인종합안내센터 (Immigration Contact Center)	1345	Visa status, explaining your whereabouts, 20 languages
고용노동부 (Ministry of Employment and Labor) Customer Counseling Center	1350	Counseling on dismissal and wages
Your local 고용센터	Differs by region	Objections to employment change reports, applications to change workplace
다누리콜센터 (Danuri Call Center)	1577-1366	Emergency counseling (many languages)

• More contacts: List of places to get help