Korean Job Discussion Forums

[htrain]

So I have one month left here. I went to the pension office to clean out my account as I'm leaving and not coming back. It was so easy; I was finished in 15 minutes.

Then, as I was walking out, I stopped and did an about face. "Excuse me, one more thing, could you tell me how much I'm going to be getting back?"

"Sure, just one moment..... ehhhh???? ::teeth sucking:: ..... hmmmmm... you have no money in this account. Can I have your boss's phone number?"

Calls boss. Boss says "Oh, I didn't know hagwons have to pay into the pension scheme, my badddddddd lolz. I'll put it in soon."

Pension dude assures me the file has been earmarked and I have a disbursement date set for July 16th. He tells me not to worry. I still feel uneasy. Embezzlement is taken quite lightly here.

I searched the threads for something like this happening in the past and no dice. I got good advice from Ttompatz to wait until this month and then check again,.. and proceed if needed... but I wanted to make a thread for the next person this happens to.

To the rest of you... what is the proper step? Now that I do have a disbursement date and the file has been earmarked, is that good enough? Am I going to have to light someone's hair on fire? What would YOU DO?

**Also, I have all my paystubs that show itemized deductions for pension.

[spliff]

Has your boss been deducting money from your monthly paychecks for pension. If not, you will have to back-pay it all.

[htrain]

[lastat06513]

Rest assure that such things are not taken lightly in Korea. In fact, he can lose his license and be forced to pay heavy fines if he doesn't pay up.
I would say you did an excellent job if you kept all your paystubs because that can be proof that you supposedly paid into the system.

I would say, for those that are at the beginning stretch of their contract, to get the number to the district pension office and after a couple of months into your contract, to contact them periodically to make sure your boss is indeed paying into your pension account. If he is not, kindly remind him (preferrably over a glass of soju and a meal of som gyup ssal) that it is his responsibility to pay into it......it is a substantial amount of money to lose if it is not being paid into.......it can also become a bargaining chip to use if things get ugly where you work

[ED209]

[Ya-ta Boy]

[htrain]

Good advice, thanks. I'm going to start going to the pension office every week and make sure an ultimatum is given on both sides before I start making threats.

So far I got the pension guy to write everything and provide his name, email, phone number, etc, and made sure he called my school.

[Atavistic]

[lastat06513]

If officials do take it lightly, then you know its time to take the issue to a whole new level.......

Please keep in mind that the end of a contract is not the time to start thinking about your pension......it says in the contract that you are suppose to get your pension at the end.....so it would be a good idea to check up on it well before the end of your contract to make sure there are no irregularities.
Thinking ahead works wonders..........
If your school doesn't put money into it by the 6th month of your contract, chances are they will try to renege on it altogether and that should sound alarm bells for you to try to pressure them to contribute your deductions into the pension as promised.........

If I were you, if things turn soar, get an English-language copy of the labor laws and highlight the part about mandatory pension contributions and give it to your boss. Then also, if you don't get anywhere with the pension officer, try to speak to their superior in the office (make sure to bring a Korean person to translate if you can't speak Korean)
......sometimes it is better to go over the person's head then to fight with a wall..........

[htrain]

I know some of the old schoolers will laugh about this, but this is directly from the national pension website's FAQ:

Q: What if my employer refuses to contribute?

A: Please visit or telephone the person in charge and we can help you.
If you have some evidence to support your claim, please submit it. We can force your employer to pay your contributions. If we find that your employer didn't pay contributions to our Service, first we will remind him/her of the deferred payment by mail, then we will investigate his/her properties. Finally, if necessary, we will seize his/her assets to pay the contributions.

[htrain]

OK. I called like a billion numbers and no one could speak English. Finally I got in contact with a guy who was extremely helpful at 02-2176-3023, one Mr. Lee.

He took my info and called me back after about an hour and told me that a partial payment was made and they are giving a grace period to the employer up until the day I leave. He said once I have left the country they will disburse my full pension. He said at that point in time if the balance is not paid in full, the school's bank account information is already on file and assets will be seized. He said action is being taken and gave me his information. He said the fact that partial payments have been made is very good for me and enough evidence that payments were supposed to be made that were not. He said to check up with him again more toward the end of the month.

As for what lastat said, yeah. Check your pension account. I did and then when I found I had a zero balance after 3 months I hassled my school, then they started making payments.. then they stopped again. I guess one should check at least every few months.

Between this, worry about severance, worry about exchange rates, worry about banking protocol, etc etc... it is time for me to leave Korea and not look back... it's just not worth it to me anymore.

[lastat06513]

htrain- I know this is alittle off-topic...but.......I liked the avitar where the guy was crushing the 6-pack of energy drinks......I busted a gut watching that

[htrain]

Hahaha. Thanks. I pride myself on my avatars.

[yingwenlaoshi]

[Young FRANKenstein]