An offer that sounds good on the phone can read very differently on paper. Your employer must state your pay and conditions in writing when you sign, so the paper is what you check. This guide shows which clauses, fees, and promises to challenge before you sign a Korean employment contract (근로계약서).
If you are a hagwon teacher on an E-2 visa, read Hagwon Contract Red Flags first. This guide covers everyone else: office, factory, and service workers on E-7, E-9, F-series, and other visas.
Check the offer against the contract first
Compare three things line by line before you sign: the pay, the hours, and the job title. Whatever you were told by phone or in a chat must appear in the document.
Under Labor Standards Act (근로기준법) Article 17, your employer must state these things when you sign:
- Wages
- Scheduled working hours
- Holidays
- Annual paid leave
- Other conditions set by Presidential Decree, including where you will work and what work you will do
The employer must also hand you a written document showing the wage components, how they are calculated, and how they are paid. An electronic document counts. If any of these change later, the employer must state the change again. The fine for breaking this rule is up to ₩5 million (Article 114).
Two other rules help you here:
- Untrue conditions. If the stated conditions are not true, you can claim damages and cancel the contract immediately (Article 19). If you cancel for this reason and you moved to take the job, an employer with 5 or more employees must pay your travel home.
- Nationality. An employer cannot treat you worse on working conditions because of your nationality (Article 6).
Check two things in particular: that the salary in the contract filed for the visa matches the salary you agreed by phone, and that the contract does not add a clause about repaying company costs if you leave. Treat any gap between the offer and the paper as a reason to stop and ask for a corrected version in writing.
Test an E-7 offer against the salary floor
The Ministry of Justice sets a minimum annual salary for each E-7 sub-type. The 2026 figures apply from February 1 to December 31, 2026 (Notice 2025-406).
| E-7 sub-type | Minimum annual salary, 2026 |
|---|---|
| E-7-1 (professional) | ₩31,120,000 |
| E-7-2 (semi-professional) | ₩25,890,000 |
| E-7-3 (general skilled) | ₩25,890,000 |
| E-7-4 (skilled) | ₩26,000,000 |
Some job codes follow a different standard that the Minister of Justice has set for those jobs. Check your own code in E-7 Occupation Codes, and read the E-7 visa guide for the full rules. These figures apply only until December 31, 2026, so check for a new notice before you rely on them in 2027.
An offer below the floor for your code cannot support the visa. Ask for a corrected offer before you resign from any other job.
Clauses that cost you money
Several of these are banned outright.
| Clause | What the law says | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| A fixed penalty or damages if you quit or break the contract (위약금) | Banned. Article 20. | Fine up to ₩5 million |
| Employer subtracts a loan or advance from your wages | Banned. Article 21. | Fine up to ₩5 million |
| Forced savings, or the employer manages your savings | Banned. Article 22. | Up to 2 years in prison or a ₩20 million fine |
| Pay is below the minimum wage | The low figure is void and the minimum wage applies. | Up to 3 years in prison or a ₩20 million fine |
Other points to check:
- Deductions. The employer must pay wages in full, directly to you, in currency, and on a fixed date at least once a month. Deductions are allowed only where a law or a collective agreement permits them (Article 43). Every payment must come with a written pay statement (임금명세서). See How to Read Your Korean Payslip.
- Minimum wage. The 2026 minimum wage is ₩10,320 per hour, or ₩2,156,880 per month at 209 hours. See Minimum Wage in Korea for Foreign Workers. A probation pay cut is allowed only in narrow cases: a contract of 1 year or longer, the first 3 months of probation, and 10 percent below the minimum. Jobs on the Minister's simple-labor list are excluded.
- Inclusive wage system (포괄임금제). Some contracts give one lump sum that "includes" overtime. In April 2026 the Ministry of Employment and Labor issued guidance, not a statute. It says the employer must list base pay and each allowance separately on the wage ledger and pay statement. It also says that if the agreed sum is less than the legal pay for the hours you actually worked, the employer must pay the difference. At a workplace with 5 or more employees, overtime, night, and holiday work earn at least 50 percent extra (Article 56).
- Repayment of training or recruitment costs. A clause that sets a fixed penalty is banned under Article 20. Courts have looked at repayment promises case by case, so do not assume a clause is legal because it is described as cost repayment. Ask for it to be removed.
- Quitting and final pay. When you leave, the employer must pay all wages and other money owed within 14 days, unless you agree to a different date (Article 36).
- Freelancer label. If a company calls you a freelancer but you work like an employee, the label does not settle your status. It depends on how you actually work. See the freelancer 3.3% refund guide.
Fees for getting the job
Anyone who recruits workers may not take money or any other benefit from applicants for that recruitment, under any name. The penalty is up to 5 years in prison or a ₩50 million fine (Employment Security Act (직업안정법) Article 32).
A registered paid job-placement business is the exception. It can charge only the fee set by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. Running such a business without registration carries the same penalty. Fake job ads and false job conditions are also banned.
If you are applying through the E-9 Employment Permit System (고용허가제, EPS), anyone other than the government-designated bodies who takes money for EPS contract agency or EPS-related work breaks the law.
What this means for you:
- Ask who is paying whom, and get the answer in writing.
- Do not pay a deposit to hold a job.
- If an agency asks for a large sum, ask 1350 or 1577-0071 before you pay.
See E-8 Seasonal Worker Scam Prevention for a scam pattern that includes fees.
Papers and your visa
Your passport and ARC stay with you. Taking your passport or Alien Registration Card (외국인등록증, ARC) as security for a job contract or a debt is a crime. So is demanding or arranging it. The penalty is up to 3 years in prison or a ₩30 million fine (Immigration Control Act (출입국관리법) Article 33-3). Foreign residents must also carry a passport or ARC, so "we will keep it safe for you" is not an acceptable request.
Your visa limits where you can work. Changing or adding a workplace needs prior permission from the Minister of Justice, with limited exceptions for some skilled visa holders who may report within 15 days (Immigration Control Act Article 21). An employer or broker also cannot hire or place a foreigner who lacks that permission. Red flags:
- "Start now, we will do the visa paperwork later."
- "You will also work at our sister company."
See Changing Jobs on a Korean Work Visa.
E-9 workers have extra protections.
- The employer must use the government standard contract (표준근로계약서). Skipping it carries an administrative fine of up to ₩5 million (Act on Foreign Workers' Employment Article 9 and Article 32).
- If the employer provides a dormitory, it must tell you before you sign about its structure and facilities, location, living conditions, floor area, and other matters about how it is set up and run. It must tell you again if any of these change.
- The employer's permit to employ you (고용허가) can be cancelled if it breaks the wage or other conditions agreed before you entered Korea. You can then apply to move to another workplace.
- You can apply to change workplaces for a labor-condition violation or unfair treatment.
The standard contract forms are listed at eps.go.kr. Read E-9 Worker Rights in Korea for the full picture.
Social insurance. Foreigners aged 18 to under 60 who work at a workplace covered by the National Pension become workplace subscribers on the same basis as Koreans, with some exceptions. Ask which of the four major insurances (4대 보험) your employer will register you for, and when.
Before-you-sign checklist
Go through this list with the contract in front of you.
- The contract is on paper or in an electronic document, and you received a copy.
- You can read it in a language you understand, or you had it translated.
- Pay, hours, holidays, and annual leave are written in the contract.
- Salary matches what you were offered, in the same currency and with the same gross or net basis.
- Pay is at least the minimum wage, and for E-7, at least the floor for your code.
- The overtime pay rule is written down, not folded into a single lump sum.
- There is no penalty for quitting, no forced savings, and no deduction for advances.
- The employer is not asking for money for the job, and no agency fee is hidden in the contract.
- Nobody has asked to keep your passport or ARC.
- The employer and workplace named in the contract match your visa.
- Housing terms (if any) are written down: cost, deductions, and what happens when you leave.
- The employer will register you for the insurances, and you know the start date.
If the employer will not fix a line, ask for the reason in writing.
If it already happened
- Keep records. Save the offer message, the contract, pay statements, bank transfers, and any chat with your employer.
- Call for advice. The Ministry of Employment and Labor call centre is 1350 (a paid call). The foreign worker counselling centre (외국인력상담센터) at 1577-0071 offers phone counselling in many languages.
- Use the free AI consultation. The Ministry runs an AI labor-law consultation at ai.moel.go.kr that supports dozens of languages.
- File a complaint. Complaints about unpaid wages and similar violations go to the regional labor office (지방고용노동관서). Ask 1350 or 1577-0071 which office handles your workplace and how to file.
- Unpaid wages. Read Korea Unpaid Wage Guarantee Fund for the next step if the employer cannot or will not pay.
Compare offers before you decide
Seoulstart's /jobs listings show the visa route and the Korean level for each job, so you can compare an offer against similar roles before you accept.