Your language can be the reason an employer picks you. Some jobs in Korea are written in Vietnamese, Russian, Chinese or Japanese, or ask for one of them. Seoulstart Jobs collects them in one language tab. This guide shows where to find your tab, how other boards compare, and which visa lets you take the job.
Disclosure: this is Seoulstart. Seoulstart Jobs is listed first because it is the board built around this exact search.
Start with the language tab on Seoulstart Jobs
Seoulstart Jobs has a tab in each non-English edition for jobs that want that language. Open the one that matches yours:
| Your language | Tab | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Vietnamese | Vietnamese jobs | seoulstart.com/vi/jobs/language |
| Russian | Russian jobs | seoulstart.com/ru/jobs/language |
| Chinese | Chinese jobs | seoulstart.com/zh/jobs/language |
| Japanese | Japanese jobs | seoulstart.com/ja/jobs/language |
Here is what each tab does:
- One list for your language. A job appears when the posting is written in your language or asks for it, for example "fluent in Russian" or a JLPT or HSK requirement.
- Korea first. Jobs in Korea come at the top. Remote jobs and jobs abroad follow, and each job is marked so you can see where the work is.
- A board in your language. The menus, filters and labels are in your edition's language. Seoulstart Jobs is available in six languages.
- Postings in the employer's own words. Each posting stays in the language the employer wrote it in, with no translation. For jobs in Korea, the job page adds a short Seoulstart summary on top and keeps the original posting one tap below. Your browser can translate a posting if you want help.
- Korean level before you apply. The job page for a job in Korea shows Seoulstart's read of the Korean level the posting asks for.
- Visa guides next to the list. Each tab links to guides on work rights for F-4, F-5 and F-6 holders, the E-7 visa, the E-9 visa, and your first 90 days at a Korean company.
Your visa decides which jobs you can take. The sections below list the visa routes for each language, so you can go from the tab to the right application.
How Seoulstart Jobs compares with other boards
Start with Seoulstart Jobs for your language tab. Add a second board for the job types or visa tags it covers.
| Board | Best for | Languages (checked October 17, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Seoulstart Jobs | Jobs that want your language, in Korea, remote and abroad, in one list | Board in six languages; a tab for Vietnamese, Russian, Chinese and Japanese |
| Jobploy | Office, manufacturing, food, logistics and retail listings with visa tags | Interface lists Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese among 11 languages. Russian is not listed |
| KoMate (Saramin) | A visa score calculator and translation of listings | Business Korea reports translation in 30 languages, including Chinese and Vietnamese |
| KOWORK | Employers that sponsor E-7 visas | English and Korean |
KLiK, the foreigner service from JobKorea, closed on June 8, 2026. If an old forum thread sends you there, use one of the boards above.
Vietnamese speakers
Open the Vietnamese jobs tab for jobs written in Vietnamese or asking for it, with Korea listed first.
Where jobs are posted. The Vietnamese jobs tab is the place to start. Jobploy has a Vietnamese interface, and Business Korea reported in 2024 that KoMate translates listings into Vietnamese. If you came on an E-9 visa, you do not search boards for your first job. The government places you through the Employment Permit System (고용허가제, EPS). The EPS portal has an entry for Vietnam.
Roles. The E-9 visa covers manufacturing, construction, services, agriculture and livestock, fishing, and other sectors set by the foreign workforce committee. Outside E-9, employers post marketing roles aimed at Vietnamese customers. Jobploy showed one on October 17, 2026.
Visa angle.
- E-9: Vietnam is an EPS sending country. After a work contract ends, you must apply for a workplace change within 1 month. Read the E-9 visa guide before you leave a job.
- F-6 (marriage migrant): you can work in any job, with no separate work permit.
- D-2 (student): you need a part-time work permit before you start.
- D-10 (job seeker): since October 29, 2025, immigration issues D-10 for 1 year at a time, up to 3 years in total.
At the end of June 2026, 325,259 Vietnamese citizens were registered foreign residents in Korea. The Korea Immigration Contact Center (외국인종합안내센터, 1345) answers questions in Vietnamese.
Russian speakers
Open the Russian jobs tab for jobs written in Russian or asking for it, with Korea listed first.
Russian speakers in Korea include Russian citizens, citizens of Central Asian countries, and ethnic Koreans from the former Soviet Union (고려인, Goryeoin). Each group has a different visa route.
Where jobs are posted. The Russian jobs tab gives you a Russian-language board with Korea jobs first. Jobploy's interface does not list Russian. Jobploy did show a Russia and CIS marketing contract role on October 17, 2026.
Roles. Marketing for Russian-speaking customers is one example. The tour guide interpreter exam (관광통역안내사) also offers Russian as an exam language.
Visa angle.
- F-4 for ethnic Koreans: Goryeoin apply under the Overseas Korean visa (재외동포, F-4). Since February 12, 2026, an ethnic Korean who proves their status can receive F-4 without a nationality-based difference in treatment. See the F-4, F-5 and F-6 work rights guide.
- E-9 for Central Asian citizens: Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are EPS sending countries. The EPS portal does not list Russia. Do not expect the EPS pages to be in Russian.
- Russian citizens: work routes include E-7 (a Korean employer sponsors you), D-10 and D-2. A marriage visa (F-6) allows work without a separate permit.
At the end of June 2026, 21,632 Russian citizens and 2,779 Korean-Russian residents were registered foreigners. Uzbekistan had 69,269. The Contact Center (1345) answers questions in Russian.
Chinese speakers
Open the Chinese jobs tab for jobs written in Chinese or asking for it, with Korea listed first.
Where jobs are posted. Jobploy has a Chinese interface, and Business Korea reported in 2024 that KoMate translates listings into Chinese. KOWORK lists bilingual roles, including a Chinese and Korean one on October 17, 2026, but its interface is English and Korean only. The EPS portal has entries for both Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
Roles. Look for bilingual sales and operations, marketing, interpretation and translation, and manufacturing roles. Tourism is part of the picture too: China sent the most visitors in June 2026, with 649,582 arrivals. Chinese is also an exam language for the tour guide interpreter licence.
Visa angle.
- F-4 for Korean-Chinese: The Working Visit (방문취업, H-2) visa ended for new applicants on February 12, 2026. Korean-Chinese residents now use the Overseas Korean visa (재외동포, F-4). The status change fee is waived through December 31, 2027. The ID card fee is still payable. F-4 holders work in most jobs, except those on the restricted list in notice 제2026-65호, which covers simple labor, work against public morals and a short list of other jobs.
- E-9 for Chinese citizens: China is an EPS sending country.
- Other routes: E-7, D-10 and D-2.
The Ministry of Justice counts Chinese citizens and Korean-Chinese residents in separate rows. At the end of June 2026, it listed 221,073 Chinese citizens and 214,818 Korean-Chinese residents. The Contact Center (1345) answers questions in Chinese.
Japanese speakers
Open the Japanese jobs tab for jobs written in Japanese or asking for it, with Korea listed first.
Where jobs are posted. Start with the Japanese jobs tab. Jobploy has a Japanese interface. Japan is not an EPS sending country, so the E-9 route does not apply.
Roles. Look for client service, customer support, sales and tourism roles that ask for Japanese. Japan sent 348,216 visitors in June 2026, the second-largest group after China. Japanese is also an exam language for the tour guide interpreter licence. Jobploy showed a Japanese-speaker client service role on October 17, 2026.
Visa angle.
- H-1 Working Holiday (관광취업): Japanese citizens who live in Japan can apply. The consulate page states ages 18 to 25 (up to 30 with a stated reason) and a limit of 1,300 working hours per year. Foreign-language conversation instructor jobs are excluded.
- E-7 and D-10: a Korean employer sponsors E-7. Whether a job such as translator, interpreter or overseas sales qualifies depends on the current E-7 occupation list. Check it at HiKorea or call 1345.
- D-2 and F-6: the part-time permit and work rights from the Vietnamese section apply here too.
At the end of June 2026, 30,255 Japanese citizens were registered foreigners. The Contact Center (1345) answers questions in Japanese.
Teaching your own language (E-2)
The E-2 visa (회화지도) covers foreign-language conversation instruction, not only English. Teaching Chinese, Japanese, Russian or Vietnamese normally requires being a citizen of a country where that language is the mother tongue, plus a degree. Confirm the current rules at HiKorea or by calling 1345 before you plan around it.
Korean level: read it before you apply
A posting in your language can still ask for Korean. Check three places:
- The Korean-level label on the job page. On Seoulstart Jobs, the job page for a job in Korea shows Seoulstart's read of the Korean level the posting asks for.
- The posting text. 한국어 능통 means fluent Korean. 한국어 가능 means functional Korean.
- The test score. Korean employers often name a TOPIK (한국어능력시험) level. Read what a TOPIK score is worth for jobs to see which levels matter for which roles.
Keep your search safe
- No fee to be hired. Article 32 of the Employment Security Act (직업안정법) bans anyone recruiting workers from taking money from applicants for the hiring. Licensed paid job placement agencies (유료직업소개소) are the exception, and they may charge only the fees the Ministry of Employment and Labor sets.
- E-9 workers use EPS, not job boards. If someone offers to move you to a new employer outside EPS, ask the employment centre (고용센터) first.
- Call 1345 when your visa question is unclear. It runs weekdays from 09:00 to 22:00 in 20 languages, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and Russian. After 18:00, only Korean, English and Chinese are available.
For a wider list of boards, including Korean-language ones, read Best Job Sites in Korea for Foreign Residents.