Korean Job Discussion Forums

[PatrickSiheung]

Hi All,

I have to go to the labor board tomorrow morning as my former employer has failed to pay me my bonus, deposit, etc... which division of the labor office must I visit, please? I need the one responsible for the Seochu-gu, Bangbae Dong area.

Thanks

[Real Reality]

Seoul Gangnam Regional Office
Tel. 82-2-584-0009 / Fax. 82-2-3471-8768 / Zip Code : 137-063
1022-10, Bangbae 3(sam)-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, Korea
Extent of Jurisdiction: Gangnam-gu, Seocho-gu

Find Your Nearest Ministry of Labor Agency
http://152.99.129.68:8787/about/about_06_01.jsp

Labor Office Procedures
http://efl-law.com/faqans_lab-off.html

Ministry of Labor
http://152.99.129.68:8787/

[PatrickSiheung]

Thanks a lot. That's a huge help.

[dulouz]

How long does this take? From filing to hearing. I'm going to the Deagu office.

[Real Reality]

You may find your employer does not pay you your monthly salary or final severance pay. You attend at the Labor Office. Take with you all documents relevant to the problem - contract/passport/citizen's card/past payment sheets/bank book with pay in details of wages. Indeed go with a Korean translator.

The Labor Officer will then investigate the matter. If a simple phone call does not resolve the problem to their satisfaction they will:
i. Send the Owner/Employer a letter ordering him/her to attend in person at the Labor Office within 10 days.
ii. If their is no response from the Employer, the Labor Officer refers the file to the Labor Office Investigative Branch who:
iii) carry out further inquiries with the owner and if no satisfactory response is received by them they draft documents which are submitted in Court. At that stage it comes under the domain of the Court legal system.

These are the steps involved. Most problems do not reach stage (iii). We have been advised that this whole process up to point (iii) may take up to three months, depending upon the Employer's help or non help. In the case of severance pay issues, you may well have left the country and should appoint someone within Korea in writing to act for you.
EFL LAW
http://efl-law.com/faqans_lab-off.html

dulouz and PatrickSiheung,
Good Luck.
You may find that you need to go to the labor board office several times. Perhaps, only after Korean friends call several times and complain to the labor office representative, you will receive your money.

How much time and money do you have (to waste) in order to receive your money?

[PatrickSiheung]

Hey Real, sorry I didn't check back for more replies.

I have lots of time as I'm in Korea for at least another year. I'm have all the documentation I need and it's a pretty straight forward case of them not paying me. I certainly hope the labor officer is as helpful as he/she should be.

Have there been problems with them in the past? Are they difficult to deal with? I imagined they would be on my side and all-too-willing to help me get my money back.

[some waygug-in]

How well do you speak Korean?

When I went, (alone because nobody would go with me) there was no one who could speak more than 3 words of English. After a bunch of humming and hawing and passing me around to different desks, someone told me (using a mixture of Konglish and hand signals) that I should go to Immigration.

[Real Reality]