Korean Job Discussion Forums

pdog · Joined: 31 May 2004 Location: daegu

Hello,

My fiance and I are leaving Korea in 6 days. Last night we were told that we would have to pay 400 000won each for our medical insurance. We were asked about a month after coming if we wanted medical insurance or if we would pay for Dr.s and pharmaceuticals when need be, with the school paying half the cost. We took this to be a choice between 2 things: Medical at 50 000 a month with the school paying half, or, both paying for half when the appointments came. We chose the second, and have paid for a number of Dr.s appointments and hospital bills for the past year. Back to the present. We were told we had to cover half of medical insurance even though we had chosen not to go this route. (This being a choice.) So what they want is for us to pay 400 000 each even though we have dished out about a couple hundred thousand won.

Has anyone had similar experiences of schools trying to force this upon them at the last minute? Does anyone know about the ins and outs of medical? Any opinions?

To be told that we have to pay back nearly a quarter of our severance at the last second, not having been told that this might be the way it is now seems to me a mistake on the part of the business.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
pdog

john · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

If you sign up for insurance after you have been in Korea for a few months or years they charge you for all the previous month's premiums.

But since you never signed up for the medical insurance and you dont/didnt want it... you should not have to pay anything.

Goog Luck

pegpig · Joined: 10 May 2005

That's one of the frickedest (may not appear in dictionary.com) things I've heard yet. To make it a whole year and then they come with that one. Wow!

I've never heard of a hogwan trying to pull that one before, but it wouldn't surprise me a bit. This is dynamic Korea after all, so they have to stay on their toes to come up with new ways to cut costs. That's exactly what they're trying to do - cut costs at the last moment. I'd just tell them that you don't want to pay, and that's it.

If they're actually serious about it, they could technically do it. They do make people pay backpayments. But, I don't understand why they would want to do it, if they're doing it legally, because it means that they have to also contribute the same amount themselves. However, my guess is they just want to reduce their costs by your 800 k. They won't actually submit it. The same thing with some pension money.

Just say no!

MissT · Joined: 06 Apr 2005 Location: Korea

Hey pdog,

Are you planning on coming back to Korea? Are you filing taxes back home? If no, then I wouldn't pay. I would also explain to whomever you need to talk to the previous reasons why you shouldn't. Sounds like absolute disorganization on the part of the school, or maybe they are trying to rip you off? They really should have known about this and let you known from the start! Evil or Very Mad

Sorry to hear about your situation...

MissT.

joe_doufu · Joined: 09 May 2005 Location: Elsewhere

I haven't figured out yet whether medical insurance is mandatory. I would think it is, since it's a "tax" - a percentage of salary - rather than a fixed expense that you purchase. Anyway my school hasn't been paying for mine, as I wrote about in another thread, so they insist that I make "back payments" if I want insurance.

Anyway, your school is trying to rip you off, as it is clearly their mistake/fault whether the medical insurance is mandatory or not. I don't know what you can do, if they simply don't hand over the severance pay. Sue them? Trash the hagwon?

denverdeath · Joined: 21 May 2005 Location: Boo-sahn

peppermint · Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2005 2:35 am Post subject:

A lot depends on how many full time employees your school has- more than 5 and both you and the school must pay for insurance, and pension which is usually tied to medical insurance.

If you think they're bluffing, tell them you've heard that you're responsible for paying into the pension fund as well, and that you'll be calling the pension office to see how much you (* and they) owe. Contact info for the nearest pension office should be on this page

pdog · Joined: 31 May 2004 Location: daegu

Hey all,

Thanks for the comments and advice. It is aggravating the hell out of us. Our director, owner... says we can do what we want but we have to pay. The problem for us is that even thought we say NO they are in control of our funds right now. We need to get our severance this week and we are outta here on Friday.

It's a shame that this school has screwed us on vacations, visa runs, and now this... But especially this! We were given a choice. They messed up and if they ever realized that we should have been on medical they never let us know... until 5 days before...

Legally I don't know what to do. It wasn't the worst place to work. WASN'T but this is silly...

I will let people know what happens. Nothing like a ruined last weekend in country that you stuck up for until now. Prejudiced, racsist, xenophobic and socially inept at understanding and dualistic consideration.

More comments are much appreciated.

Thanks all and cheers,
pdog

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

It sounds to me like the school got caught not paying when they are obligated to pay. W35,000 X 12 = W420,000. My guess is someone from the government took a peak at the books and sent the school a bill for their half of the insurance and now the school wants you to pay for your half.

I don't see that you can do anything but accept the situation. Could be wrong though. Anyway, sorry. Does kind of sour the last week.

pegpig · Joined: 10 May 2005

They pull this crap exactly because they know you're gone in a few days, they control your money, and there really is squat you can do about it in a short period of time.

I'm extremely skeptical that the boss is actually paying or going to pay. Suddenly, with one week to go, the bosses get this bill? BS. It was premeditated and was going to be thrust at the op at the last moment, just like this.

They control your last month's salary and bonus - 4 mill or so (+airfare), so they know that you're not going to not show up for work the last week or do anything stupid. Actually, you're getting married, so they actually control close to 10 mill between the 2 of you. And they know it.

Nice wedding gift.

Good luck.

tzechuk · Joined: 20 Dec 2004

holy shit... what kind of crap is this?!

I have no suggestion because I have never come across this but what peppermint says sounds really good right now and I'd go ahead and call their bluff! You still have time.

*hwa*(f)ighting!

guangho · Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2005 5:31 am Post subject:

My boss is not paying my health insurance.

Guess how I learned this.

diablo3 · Joined: 11 Sep 2004

Do not pay the insurance. GO, just GO.

It is their fault.
In many cases, the government expects that certain amount of money.

Actually, you can do what they do, promise to pay and never do.

I do not know if coming back to Korea will impact having health insurance in the future. After all, why should it?

tzechuk · Joined: 20 Dec 2004

pdog · Joined: 31 May 2004 Location: daegu

Hey again,

The problem with go go go is that they are in control of our July wages and severance. I still can't get my head around them not letting us know through the year that this was not a choice but was mandetory when they had previously asked us if we wanted to pay for comp medical or just take care of things as they happened.

To not realize until the last second and then tell us that because they made a mistake we will have to dig out of our pockets and divi up with them... yet, all the money we spent at medical facilities and pharmacies will not be reimburse because, surprise surprise, the time is too far past for the receipts to be reimbursed. So they expect that we have to pay for their mistake which will cost about a thousand Cdn between us, as well as what we did spend in the past. It's like buying a car, but then being told after the paper work is done, and just as you are about to put your second foot through the door you will have to hand over another chunk of cash in order to leave with the car...

I will check up on the pension deal. The thing has soured us towards this country. Can't help but not when after a year of sweating your ass of for them they try to do all they can to mess you nice and sweet.

Here is a run down of the problems leading up to Friday's disclosure of the 400 000 owing for medical:

1.promised vacation time never given. Out of 10 days we chose 3 and had 4 school holidays and 3 forced to get a visa which they and the recruiter messed before we headed over... that visa happened to be our longest holiday because there was a typhoon in the East sea so our KTX from Daegu to Busan was enjoyed on two different days.

2. our plane ticket home was not purchased until it was well into busy season and we are going Daegu-Gimpo, Gimpo bus to Incheon, Incheon-Osaka, Osaka-Vancouver, Vancouver-Mtl. Not a problem for us but a problem for our dog, that they knew about and promised to get a ticket to Van without the Osaka stopover...

3. repeated attempts to get us to phone teach after hours and when arguing we wouldn't, being told bad teachers by our fellow Korean teachers that seem to be in a battle to make us feel as lesser beings because we are foreigners over here to have a holiday, which is not true as we haven't even been able to get a holiday, and we work our asses off in the school, though we are not acting in their robot-esque modes...

4. and then the medical tax disclosure....

Sorry for the rambling here. A few beers and a long day of trying to figure out what we can do. A damper on our last weekend. The bastards.

Thanks for all the replies and pointers and as always looking for as many opinions, good or bad, that might be able to clear up this situation in a legit way where integrity and regard will rule over their opposites...

Cheers,
Pdog