Korean Job Discussion Forums

[salmanelladub]

Please forgive me for my grammar...i like writing this way.

I've had a great time in korea and everything positive....but something interesting happened yesterday.

i've just finished my contract here and i go home on mon(22). Yesterday was payday for (a) final month payment(work) and (b) bonus/severence

In the morning i checked bank and only (a) was paid. my boss came to see me later that morning to check my flat and help me move out etc and i brought up the severnece pay...and wala 2 envelopes of wads of cash!
i was surprised a little...and it totaled 1,400,000....not the full payment of 1,900,000- tax= around 1,880,000! (still 480,000 owed) So naturally I then asked where was the rest....i then paid off some stuff at the phone company(i needed him for transport)...then he finally comes up with the rest,cash again, but only 360,000 in the envelope.
i said"what about the 120,000"....
he said.."check the payslip, pension fund and health insurance also come out of the severence pay."

Of course...at this point I was very suspicous but said nothing(i would go to pension office later).

he then took another 60,000 out of my hands and said it was my fault i broke the laundry clothes washer in my studio...I was not ok with that...but said nothing(i will tell u later why i was quiet)

Then we went to the bank and he helped me deposit the money(HAPPY).

he then dropped me off at friends house.

So...i went to pension office and....PENSION SHOULD NOT BE PAID ON SEVERENCE INCOME....the woman then rang my boss and he said he made an "accounting error". i said "OK then"

i don't think medical should either...i will check out tomorrow.

Now...if you've read until now then thanks for staying with me.

Question: Is'nt it shady he pays severence in cash?

Question: If it was shady, can i threaten my boss with going to the tax department for paying severence in cash(hence avoiding tax).
This is because I want that 60,000 back for i didn't break the washing machine....it was almost broken when i got into the flat ..he should pay this( the on button didn't work, so i cut it out with a knife, and used the knife edge to turn it on, for a year)

Thankyou for reading my story.

My boss owes me some further money...so i would like to threaten going to the tax office if he won't pay me.

[Satin]

Congratulations on finishing your contract!

First, get a receipt for your severance with taxes, etc.

As for the washer. If you don't have the paperwork where you asked to have it repaired, you are probably stuck with that. If you did an inventory and made a notation about the washer when you moved in, you could possibly use that.

Get what you can, and be happy.

[hellofaniceguy]

I would not sweat the small stuff; at least you received most of what was due....and if anyone has spent any amount of time in korea, it is well known.....most transactions are done in cash.
The majority of foreign workers in korea don't get what is due; you are lucky.

[tiger fancini]

Ok so pension should not be paid on severance. Just curious what the official deal is with tax and medical insurance - do these have to come out of severance? I'm due mine in April (from a public school) and just want to be sure that I know what to expect.

[plokiju]

I agree with hellofaniceguy. I think you are really lucky to be getting 90% or whatever it is that you are owed. It's really only 180,000 all together. It's probably better to work it out privately with your boss with only mild threats about going to the labour board/tax office to ask questions or something.

My boss was so offended that I took him to the labour board that he fired me and then refused to pay me at all. Then he started talking about how he would never forgive me because I've done harm to his reputation and the school's reputation.

It's much better to work it behind closed doors even if you don't get it all because trust me, 180,000 won isn't much. I actually wish that I had never bothered to fight over 600,000 won because now I'm owed over 2M won since my boss withheld a paycheque. Good luck!

[jmbran11]

You were paid basically your whole severance in cash before leaving. And you are complaining and threatening blackmail. Do you realize how ridiculous you sound?

[spliff]

Go back to your boss and explain what they said at the pension office and ask for the money back. Also, get a receipt for the severance payment. It should not be a problem as he said it was a simple accounting problem. If he doesn't pay, go to the labour office and ask them to tell him to pay you. It's what i would do.

[ChuckECheese]

It's just funny how most are saying that "You are sooooooo lucky that your boss didn't screw you as much as he could have so take the money and just be glad that you didn't get screwed all the way."

It's just rediculously funny.

[heeckan]

If you look at things in a 'glass is half-full' light... yeah 90% of severance -in the big picture - isn't bad... for Korea. Still, you're perfectly within your rights to be paid IN FULL. I hate how it is borderline acceptable for a boss to violate contract by not paying up. You've already got most of the money so you don't have much to lose. For the most part, I'm with plokiju... it's always best to work it out behind closed doors, but be persistent and don't let things escalate to the point of hostility unless you've exhausted all other options and you can't help but raise your boss' pulse a bit on your way out.

[Juregen]

If you really wanna play it dirty, make a claim you never received your severance pay.

Since he has no proof he paid, the money he gave you in cash could mean anything, i am even sure he made sure no one saw you get the money, right?

Ofcourse the next teacher is going to pay for it.

[JZer]

I work at a university and I did not pay any taxes on my severance pay!

[J.B. Clamence]

It depends on how the dispute with the washing machine went down. When you first moved in, did you tell him it didn't work and he refused to fix it? If you didn't then you did additional unnecessary damage, which would be kind of your fault.