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kain
Joined: 03 Dec 2008
Location: CheongJu
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 Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 5:52 am Post subject: 3 years and NO PENSION! What now? |
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I'm American and have been working in Cheongju for 3 years now. I have worked at two different schools. I recently called the pension hot line(1355) only to learn they have no record of me.
What is the next step I should take to get them to pay? Should go to the Cheongju pension office, right. Or, should I just go strait to the head office in Seoul? Also, what documents should I take to the pension office? I'll probably go down to immigration or the tax office to get some evidence of my work history.
If my questions are answered on another post, which one? I can't find it. |
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Whistleblower
Joined: 03 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 6:34 am Post subject: |
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Get your job contracts from the previous 3 years, head over to the Pension Office and file a complaint.
That is the only thing that comes to mind. |
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Kikomom
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: them thar hills--Penna, USA--Zippy is my kid, the teacher in ROK. You can call me Kiko
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| Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 6:36 am Post subject: |
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| And take all your pay stubs showing the deductions were made. |
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bobbybigfoot
Joined: 05 May 2007
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 7:06 am Post subject: |
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Brutal dude. You never thought to check with the pension office until now? Surely you knew how crooked Korea can be?
This ain't Kansas, Toto! |
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moosehead
Joined: 05 May 2007
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| Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:24 am Post subject: |
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just your local office should be able to help you - as long as you have your ARC card you should be ok - even if you no longer have records from the first school, if you had a visa, it's there that you worked for them, the record is w/immigration so I would throw a hissy fit if someone tells you tough luck if they didn't pay it.
of course checking w/the schools and giving them a chance to make it right first might get some answers; but all the same, it's the law, they were supposed to pay; but so were you - did they deduct for it at all? |
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cruisemonkey
Joined: 04 Jul 2005
Location: Hopefully, the same place as my luggage.
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| Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:49 am Post subject: |
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Three years in K-land... and just now starting to ask questions?
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ChinaBoy
Joined: 17 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 1:55 pm Post subject: Re: 3 years and NO PENSION! What now? |
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| kain wrote: |
Should go to the Cheongju pension office, right. Or, should I just go strait to the head office in Seoul? |
straight |
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IlIlNine
Joined: 15 Jun 2005
Location: Gunpo, Gyonggi, SoKo
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| Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 7:14 pm Post subject: |
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| ... and if you never paid into pension in the first place (or you don't have proof that you did) then you'll have to re-match your employer's old contributions to get anything.. after three years it'll be 4-6 million won. |
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buymybook
Joined: 21 Feb 2005
Location: Telluride
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| Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 2:34 am Post subject: |
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And you'll have to pay your portion(50%) directly to your old employer(s) which they will then supposedly have to pay the pension office who will then pay you when you show them a plane ticket out of country. The pension office will check to see if you boarded the plane before they make a deposit into a checking account.
How many full-time employees did your past employers employ? |
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kain
Joined: 03 Dec 2008
Location: CheongJu
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| Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 4:00 am Post subject: |
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Nothing is being deducted at my current job. At the time I left my old place they had about 8 foreigners. I'm positive they have never payed the pension to any of their employees.
I don't mind if I have to pay like 3 million. I'll get that back like a month later.
Guess I could go to the two schools and ask questions, but I'd rather report them and maybe get them fined.
I think I'll skip my local office and go to the head office in Seoul next week. |
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moosehead
Joined: 05 May 2007
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| Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 4:19 am Post subject: |
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| kain wrote: |
Nothing is being deducted at my current job. At the time I left my old place they had about 8 foreigners. I'm positive they have never payed the pension to any of their employees.
I don't mind if I have to pay like 3 million. I'll get that back like a month later.
Guess I could go to the two schools and ask questions, but I'd rather report them and maybe get them fined.
I think I'll skip my local office and go to the head office in Seoul next week. |
first call 1355 - the national number - or go to their website
http://www.nps.or.kr/
there's an E version, just look at the top RHS of the page - you can find your regional office on this site also.
you'll need to know the address of your school(s), a phone number, something.
I wouldn't count on anything serious happening to an employer - please - they'll get a slap on the wrist and that'll be it.
good luck, tho. |
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esetters21
Joined: 30 Apr 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Like others said, why 3 years before you were curious enough to start looking into that? Your current position doesn't pay into it and nothing is being deducted you said. What about the other one, were they deducting pension and not paying? This should be yet another lesson to all that live and work in Korea. Don't assume that everything is on the up and up and being done legally. |
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cruisemonkey
Joined: 04 Jul 2005
Location: Hopefully, the same place as my luggage.
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| Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 6:36 pm Post subject: |
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| buymybook wrote: |
| The pension office will check to see if you boarded the plane before they make a deposit into a checking account. |
From where do you get this "check to see if you boarded the plane" 'stuff'? I received a lump sum pension refund before I left K-land... the officer was confused/concerned as to why I wanted it deposited to a K bank account. I explained I was simply taking a 'month off' between switching jobs and coming back. The money was in my account on the last day of my contract.
OP,
It's not necessary to go to the head office in Seoul (you can if you want); but once they calculate your 50% and you pay them, they will go after your employers like Oprah on a cheese cake. You will get what's coming to you - the NPS is one of the few things in K-land that works the way it should.  |
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bobbybigfoot
Joined: 05 May 2007
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 8:37 pm Post subject: |
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| cruisemonkey wrote: |
OP,
It's not necessary to go to the head office in Seoul (you can if you want); but once they calculate your 50% and you pay them, they will go after your employers like Oprah on a cheese cake. You will get what's coming to you - the NPS is one of the few things in K-land that works the way it should. |
Not entirely true Cruise. I had a co-worker learn the hard way that the Pension Office doesn't really care that much. His school had only been contributing 50%. His account balance was precisely the amount he had been paying all year long. The school never matched it. He was told flat out that it's not the responsibility of the Pension Office to settle disputes like this one. He tried arguing, "No teachers in Korea make 1.1 million a month! It's obvious what the school has done." To no avail...
Granted, this co-worker is a slacker. (My last school refused to re-sign him so that should tell you something.) He likely had no paperwork to prove his case and was too lazy to follow up.
In his defense, however, it was clear that some kind of fraud had taken place. How many E2 workers come to Korea for a part time job paying 1.1 million a month? A phone call could have been easily made on his behalf:
"Hello Mr. Kim. This is the Pension Office. Your teacher X is here. Could you please confirm that his monthly salary is 1.1 million?"
"Um. Yes, That is exactly what it is."
"Thank you for your time. I will let him know right now that you have confirmed this. I will also tell him that if he disputes this amount, he can return to us with bank statements proving otherwise, and we will be in touch with you. We take pension fraud very seriously."
"Um, wait. What was I thinking? His salary is twice that!"
---- You get my point. |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 12:53 am Post subject: |
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| Did the schools have you listed as an independent contractor? |
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