You receive a message that says 확인 부탁드립니다. You understand the words: “Please check.” But check what—whether the file opens, whether the figures are correct, or whether the work is approved to go out?
That is where workplace Korean becomes difficult. Knowing the vocabulary helps, but you still need to establish the action, the person responsible, and the deadline. This guide gives foreign employees and interns practical phrases for those conversations, with English meanings and follow-up questions when the first answer is not enough.
Last checked: September 17, 2026. The examples below are original, fictional workplace scenarios, not quotations from an employer or an official phrasebook.
Start with clear, polite language—not a perfect speech
The examples use polite Korean suitable as a starting point for many office conversations. A close teammate may use a lighter style; a customer-facing message may need your company's template. Follow your team's preferred names and titles rather than guessing from someone's age. If you are unsure, ask privately how to address them.
For a request, …해 주실 수 있을까요? means “Could you…?” For your own update, …했습니다 says what you did, while …하겠습니다 states what you will do. Politeness does not replace the missing details: name the file, the part to review, and the time you need a response.
The government's Study in Korea employment guide has a “Work-Related Expressions” section covering email, meetings, deadlines, and approval. Use it as a language reference, not as proof that every Korean team communicates in the same way.
1. Ask for a specific action
“Please review the proposal” leaves the other person to guess how much work you expect. A smaller, precise request is easier to answer.
첨부한 제안서 2쪽의 금액을 오늘 오후 3시까지 확인해 주실 수 있을까요?
Could you check the amounts on page 2 of the attached proposal by 3 p.m. today?
Use this when you need a factual check, not a complete rewrite. If the deadline is a request rather than an agreed commitment, leave room for the person to say what is realistic.
일정이 어려우시면 가능한 시간을 알려 주시면 감사하겠습니다.
If that timing is difficult, I would appreciate it if you could let me know when you are available.
Before sending, check that the attachment exists and the recipient can open it. For shared documents, link the exact version and mention the relevant tab or section. Do not send a company document to a personal account just because the permissions are inconvenient; ask the owner to fix access through the approved system.
2. Turn a vague deadline into an agreed time
“Today,” “soon,” and “before the meeting” can mean different things. Ask about both the time and the stage of the work.
마감은 금요일 오후 3시가 맞을까요? 초안과 최종본 중 어떤 것을 보내드리면 될까요?
Is the deadline Friday at 3 p.m.? Should I send the draft or the final version?
초안 is a draft; 최종본 is the final version. If someone needs a final version at 3 p.m., you may need to arrange the review earlier. Do not silently treat the review deadline as your writing deadline.
검토 시간을 고려해서 목요일 오후 2시까지 초안을 보내드리면 될까요?
To allow time for review, would it work if I sent the draft by 2 p.m. on Thursday?
For an overseas team, add the time zone: 한국 시간 기준으로 means “in Korea time.” For a long email thread, use the calendar date as well. Once the timing is agreed, repeat the deliverable and deadline in one short message.
A useful distinction: 오후 3시까지 means “by 3 p.m.”; 오후 3시에 means “at 3 p.m.” That difference matters when arranging a meeting rather than submitting a file.
3. Check your understanding without starting over
If you caught most of the instruction, repeat the part you understood and ask about the missing piece. It is more efficient than saying that you did not understand anything.
제가 이해한 내용이 맞는지 확인하고 싶습니다. 이번에는 한국 시장 자료만 정리하면 될까요?
I would like to check that I understood correctly. For this task, should I compile only the information about the Korean market?
If the explanation was too fast, try:
마지막 부분을 조금 천천히 다시 말씀해 주실 수 있을까요?
Could you repeat the last part a little more slowly?
For something you must carry out exactly, ask for a written reference:
정확히 진행할 수 있도록 파일명과 마감 시간을 메시지로 보내 주실 수 있을까요?
Could you send me the file name and deadline in a message so I can proceed accurately?
Do not use 알겠습니다 (“Understood”) to hide an unresolved question. You can acknowledge the request and still clarify its scope. For safety instructions, confidential information, or an irreversible action, get the necessary explanation before proceeding.
4. Give an update that someone can act on
A useful progress update covers what is finished, what remains, and the next time you will report back. You do not need a percentage if you cannot explain what it measures.
자료 수집은 끝났습니다. 현재 수치를 확인하고 있으며, 오늘 오후 4시까지 초안을 공유하겠습니다.
I have finished collecting the material. I am checking the figures and will share the draft by 4 p.m. today.
If the work is waiting on something, say what you need without turning the update into an accusation.
가격 정보가 아직 없어 비교표를 마무리하지 못했습니다. 담당자에게 확인을 요청했고, 오후 2시에 진행 상황을 다시 알려드리겠습니다.
I cannot finish the comparison table yet because the pricing information is missing. I have asked the person responsible to confirm it and will update you again at 2 p.m.
Here, 2 p.m. is a promise to provide an update, not a promise that the missing information will arrive. Keep that distinction clear. If someone can make a decision that would unblock you, ask the question directly: can you submit the completed sections first, or should the whole document wait?
5. Raise a delay before the deadline passes
When you know the original timing is at risk, send a short explanation, the likely effect, and a workable alternative. Avoid “I will try my best” as the entire answer.
추가 확인이 필요해 오늘 오후 3시까지 최종본을 보내드리기는 어렵습니다. 오늘 오후 3시에 초안을 먼저 보내드리고, 내일 오전 11시까지 최종본을 보내드려도 될까요?
Additional checks are needed, so I cannot send the final version by 3 p.m. today. Would it be acceptable to send the draft at 3 p.m. today and the final version by 11 a.m. tomorrow?
This proposes a change; it does not establish a new deadline until the responsible person agrees. If the original deadline cannot move, ask which part is essential or whether another person can help. Do not quietly remove checks or send an unfinished document labeled “final.”
If your own mistake caused the delay, acknowledge it plainly. If a dependency is missing, describe the dependency. Repeated apologies are less useful than an accurate status and a next step.
6. Ask a manager to resolve competing priorities
Two requests can each be reasonable while being impossible to finish together. Explain the conflict before choosing a priority on someone else's behalf.
오늘 오후에는 보고서 마무리와 고객 자료 수정이 겹칩니다. 두 업무 중 어느 것을 먼저 진행하면 될까요?
Finishing the report and revising the client materials overlap this afternoon. Which task should I work on first?
Then make the consequence visible:
고객 자료를 먼저 수정하면 보고서는 내일 오전까지 완료할 수 있습니다. 이 일정으로 진행해도 될까요?
If I revise the client materials first, I can finish the report by tomorrow morning. May I proceed on that schedule?
When different managers assigned the tasks, ask the person who coordinates your workload to confirm the order and inform the affected requester. “The other manager told me to” is not a substitute for making the scheduling conflict visible.
7. Follow up when no one replies
Use the original thread where possible. Restate the decision you need and why the timing matters; repeated messages that only say “Please check” add little information.
어제 보내드린 제안서의 금액 확인을 다시 부탁드립니다. 오늘 오후 4시에 고객에게 보내야 해서, 오후 2시까지 확인이 가능하실까요?
I am following up on the amounts in the proposal I sent yesterday. It needs to go to the client at 4 p.m. today; would you be able to check them by 2 p.m.?
If the person is unavailable, ask who can cover the decision. Use your team's agreed urgent-contact route when the deadline is genuinely close. A read receipt, a reaction emoji, or silence should not be treated as formal authorization unless your workplace has explicitly established that process.
Keep a short record of what is waiting and who you contacted. If you cannot get the required approval, tell the responsible manager that the task is blocked rather than sending it externally on a guess.
8. Report an error and identify the corrected version
방금 보내드린 파일에서 날짜 오류를 발견했습니다. 수정본을 다시 보내드립니다. 이전 파일 대신 파일명 끝에 v2가 있는 파일을 확인해 주세요.
I found a date error in the file I just sent. I am sending a corrected version. Please use the file ending in v2 instead of the previous file.
Only say you are sending the correction when it is actually ready. If you are still checking, state what you know and when you will update the recipient. Identify the affected version and whether anything has already gone to a client.
For an accidental disclosure or other serious incident, follow the company's reporting procedure immediately. Replacing the file is not necessarily enough, and deleting a message does not establish that the recipient never accessed it.
Review, confirmation, and approval are different requests
- 확인: checking or confirming. Specify whether you mean receipt, accuracy, or a particular fact.
- 검토: reviewing or examining. Say which part needs feedback.
- 승인 / 결재: approval. Confirm who has authority and whether a formal approval system must be used.
- 결제: payment, not document approval.
Study in Korea's approval examples use 결재 for document approval. The National Institute of Korean Language's Korean-English Learners' Dictionary entry for 결제 concerns completing a payment transaction. The spelling difference is small; the requested action is not.
내용 검토를 부탁드리는 단계입니다. 고객에게 보내기 전 최종 승인은 누구에게 받으면 될까요?
This is a request for content review. Whose final approval should I obtain before sending it to the client?
A small phrase bank you will actually use
Choose three situations that happen in your job: asking for a review, confirming a deadline, and reporting a blocker are good starting points. Save one example for each in your own notes. Replace the file name, time, and action each time instead of sending an unchanged template.
For structured practice, the Online King Sejong Institute curriculum includes Business Korean 1 and 2, focused on expressions used in Korean companies. Its Business Korean self-learning course list includes English-language options. Check current access and enrollment details on the site.
Workplace language also depends on the team around you. Our guide to work culture, visibility, and balance in Seoul explains why one office's habits should not be treated as a rule for every Korean employer.
Before pressing send, ask yourself: can the reader identify what I need, which version I mean, and when a response matters? If those three things are clear, a short message can do the job well.
Source note: Official links support the language-reference and learning-resource information next to them. The scenario wording, translations, and workflow suggestions are editorial examples written for this guide; they are not official scripts or a guarantee of how a particular colleague will respond. Follow your employer's approval, security, and communication procedures.
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