If you need to call in sick in Korea, notify the person responsible for your shift, request the absence, and ask how it will be recorded. Do not assume that saying “I am sick” automatically creates paid sick leave. Confirm the approval, pay treatment, required document, and next update time in writing.
This guide covers an ordinary employee’s absence for a personal illness or injury unrelated to work. Workplace injuries and separate statutory leave situations need their own assessment.
Is sick leave paid in Korea?
For ordinary personal illness, the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) explains that sick leave is not a general leave entitlement set by the Labor Standards Act. A contract, workplace rules, or collective agreement may provide it. Without such a provision, an employer is not generally required to grant sick leave; an approved unpaid absence and an unapproved absence are different outcomes. See MOEL’s sick-leave and pay FAQ (published September 27, 2021; checked October 23, 2026 (KST)).
That is why your first question should be “Which rule applies to my absence?” rather than “How many sick days does Korea give everyone?” Do not import a sick-day allowance from another country or another employer.
1. Notify the right person before your shift
Use the channel your workplace requires: a phone call, attendance app, manager message, or HR email. If you only message a colleague who cannot approve leave, the absence may remain unresolved. Where possible, send the request before the scheduled start and keep its timestamp.
You can adapt this message:
I am unwell and cannot attend my scheduled shift today, [date]. I am requesting one day of absence. Please confirm the leave category, whether it is paid, and any document I need. I will update you by 4 p.m. about tomorrow. The urgent handover is [task/location].
A useful Korean opening is “몸이 아파 오늘 출근이 어렵습니다” (“I am unwell and cannot come to work today”). Add the date and the request. Keep the first message short enough for someone arranging cover to act on it.
2. Ask for the exact attendance category
Ask HR to identify the relevant section of your contract or workplace rules, called 취업규칙. Useful terms are 병가 (sick leave), 연차휴가 (annual leave), 무급휴가 (unpaid leave), and 결근 (absence). These labels can lead to different records and pay treatment.
Use the workplace’s written sick-leave provision to confirm paid or unpaid treatment. MOEL’s general personal-illness FAQ distinguishes an approved unpaid day from an unapproved absence and notes that wages may be affected (published September 27, 2021; checked October 23, 2026 (KST)). For an injury connected with work, obtain a separate occupational-injury assessment before accepting an absence classification.
Get four answers: Is today approved? Which category will appear in the system? Will it use an annual-leave balance? What pay or attendance consequences does HR expect? If the answer is verbal, send a brief recap and ask the recipient to correct anything inaccurate.
3. Check the document before paying for one
Do not assume a clinic receipt is the same as a medical certificate. Ask for the exact Korean document name, the information needed, submission deadline, and recipient. An employer may request a 진단서 (medical certificate) or another specified document; ask whether a 진료확인서 (confirmation of treatment) will satisfy that particular request.
Then ask the clinic whether it can issue that document and what it costs before ordering it. This avoids buying an English document when HR needs a Korean one, or requesting a certificate that does not cover the dates in question. Keep your own copy and submit it through the designated HR channel rather than a group chat.
4. Agree on tomorrow’s update and handover
If the length of the absence is uncertain, give an update time you can realistically meet. “I will confirm tomorrow morning” is less useful when your shift starts early; agree on a time that lets the employer arrange cover. If you need an extension, make a new request instead of assuming yesterday’s approval covers it.
Separate absence from working remotely. If you are proposing a shorter shift, remote work, or a schedule swap, ask whether it is approved and how the time will be entered. Do not let “I can answer one urgent question” silently become an expectation that you worked a full day.
If no company sick leave is available
Ask whether available annual leave, an approved unpaid day, or an agreed schedule adjustment is possible. The approval and conditions matter. MOEL’s FAQ on unpaid sick absence notes that unpaid leave requires employer recognition and that unpaid leave or absence may affect wages; a policy promising paid sick leave also matters when checking deductions (published September 27, 2021; checked October 23, 2026 (KST)).
When you return, check that the attendance entry matches the approval, then compare the next payslip with HR’s explanation. If the record is disputed, collect the policy, dated request, reply, and relevant pay entry before asking MOEL or a labor adviser for case-specific guidance. A clear paper trail makes the question concrete: what was requested, what was approved, and what was actually recorded?
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