Questions & Answers
Category:Money Matters
You can still apply for the return of the pension contributions you have made while in Korea after you have left the country. You can try contacting the NPS directly or you can have a lawyer in Korea or in your home country initiate the process on your behalf.
The pension refund can be sent to you in your home country or it can be paid into your account in Korea. For the latter, just make sure that you have completed all the paperwork required to allow you to access your Korean account from overseas and that your account has not lain dormant (with no activity) for more than 6 months.
For more on pensions: http://www.korea4expats.com/article-pension-obligations-rights.html or go to the Working&Business tab and then go to the Salary Deductions/Benefits column.
For legal assistance contact details, see the K4E Directory.
For information on opening a bank account and other banking information, click on the Daily Life tab and then go to the Banking, Money Matter column. : (scroll down to below any of the pages for more banking options)
K4E Editor: Korea4Expats.com tries to ensure that the information we provide is accurate and complete, so should you notice any errors or omissions in the content above please contact us at info@korea4expats.com.
- If I pay for purchases with a Korean credit card, does this add to my income tax deductions?
- My boss only gave me less than one month's salary when my contract ended? What can I do.
- My employer did not give me my pension information until just hours before my flight. What can I do now?
- Why is it that universities don't pay airfaire to and from Korea?
- My employer pays me less than my hourly wage when I work overtime. Is that usual in Korea?
- Can I receive monies owed me by my employer after I leave Korea?
Culture
- During interviews I've been asked about when I plan to have children, why I'm not married, etc. Is that legal? Are men asked the same questions?
- I've found that customers here often just hang up without saying goodbye. I don't know if they're angry or not.
- Why do people so often say 'yes' to something they don't intend to do?
General Info
Government Regs
- Do I have to file an annual Korean tax return?
- How can I figure out how to file my Korean income tax return if I don't speak/read Korean fluently?
- How can I make sure that my employer is paying the tax they deduct from my salary to the government?
- Do I have the contribute to the Korean Pension Plan even though I'm not going to be here until I retire?
- What can I do if my employer refuses to give me my severance pay?
Health
Housing
Teaching in Korea
Working Conditions
- Is there a government agency I can contact in case of a contract dispute with a Korean employer?
- Can a foreign worker who does not have a work visa get help from the Ministry of Labor?
- As a foreign worker in Korea, am I entitled to maternity leave?
- Is my employer obligated to provide me with medical insurance?
- My employer enrolled me in a private insurance plan not the national one, is that legal?
- Can I get my own national health insurance coverage?
- My employer says that I have to go to a specific clinic/hospital? Can't I chose my own doctor/hospital?
- Does the national health plan cover 100% of my medical expenses?
- How much will it cost me to provide my own health insurance coverage?
- My employer has gone bankrupt owing me back wages and my air fare back home. Is there anything I can do?
- Is it true that as a foreign ESL teacher, I pay Korean income taxes 70% of my income, not 100%
- My employer wants us to work on promotions and special weekend camps for free or for less than our normal hourly wage. Can he do that?
- Which has more weight, labor law or the contract? Can a contract go against the law?





















