If wages are unpaid in Korea, record the pay period, agreed payday, amount due, and amount received; save your evidence and request a payment date in writing. You can ask 1350 for guidance or use the official labor petition route when investigation is needed. Contacting payroll or calling 1350 is not a prerequisite that must delay a formal petition.
Source review: October 1, 2026; key wage rules, petition and substitute-payment procedures, and telephone-service information rechecked October 20, 2026 (KST). This guide provides general information for foreign workers in Korea. It does not replace individualized legal advice. Wage calculations, worker status, severance, overtime, limitation periods, substitute-payment eligibility, and immigration consequences can depend on the facts of your case.
Quick answer: what should you do if your wages are unpaid?
If your employer has not paid wages in Korea, use this order:
- Check what amount is actually missing.
- Save your contract, payslips, work records, bank records, and messages.
- Ask the employer or payroll team for payment in writing.
- Call 1350 if you need guidance on Korean labor law.
- If the problem is not resolved, file an unpaid-wage petition (임금체불 진정) with the competent Employment and Labor Office.
- For multilingual reporting support about unpaid wages or another foreign-worker human-rights violation, contact 1345. Additional violence or coercion is not a stated requirement for reporting unpaid wages.
- If the employer still does not pay after the arrears are confirmed, check whether a substitute-payment scheme or civil recovery process applies.
Most importantly, do not let repeated promises such as “we will pay next week” replace written evidence and a clear deadline.
What counts as unpaid wages in Korea?
Unpaid wages are not limited to a company refusing to pay an entire monthly salary.
A wage problem may involve:
- A monthly salary that was not paid
- Part of a salary being withheld
- Overtime pay
- Night-work or holiday-work pay
- Allowances that legally qualify as wages
- Unused annual-leave compensation when it is legally payable
- Final wages after resignation
- Severance pay, although severance is governed by separate retirement-benefit rules
Before filing anything, identify each amount separately.
For example:
- September base salary: ₩2,600,000
- Overtime claimed: ₩320,000
- Expense reimbursement: ₩80,000
Do not automatically combine all three into “unpaid wages.”
An expense reimbursement may be treated differently from statutory wages. A labor counselor or inspector can help determine which items fall within labor-law protection.
Korean law requires regular wage payment
Article 43 of Korea's Labor Standards Act provides the basic wage-payment rule.
Wages must generally be paid directly to the worker, in full, and at least once per month on a fixed date, subject to limited statutory exceptions.
So if your contract says your payday is the 25th of each month and the employer simply does not pay on that date, you do not necessarily have to wait until you resign before asking about a wage violation.
Official source: Labor Standards Act, Article 43 (Korean; version effective 8 October 2026; checked 20 October 2026).
If you already resigned: know the 14-day rule
The rule is different when the employment relationship has ended.
Under Article 36 of the Labor Standards Act, when a worker retires, resigns, or otherwise leaves employment, the employer must generally settle wages, compensation, and other money or valuables owed within 14 days from the date the payment obligation arises.
The deadline can be extended where there are special circumstances and the worker and employer agree to an extension.
That means an employer cannot automatically rely on the company's next normal payroll date after you leave.
If you resigned on September 30, for example, ask HR:
“What date will my final wages be paid, and have we agreed to any extension of the statutory settlement period?”
Official source: Official source: Labor Standards Act, Article 36 (Korean; version effective 8 October 2026; checked 20 October 2026).
Foreign workers are protected by Korean labor standards too
Your nationality does not give an employer permission to apply worse working conditions simply because you are foreign.
Article 6 of the Labor Standards Act prohibits discriminatory treatment regarding working conditions based on nationality, religion, or social status.
This does not mean every foreign and Korean worker must always receive exactly the same salary regardless of job, experience, responsibility, or performance.
It means nationality itself cannot be used as the reason to deny legal labor protections.
Official source: Labor Standards Act, Article 6 (Korean; version effective October 8, 2026; checked October 20, 2026).
Step 1: calculate what is actually missing
Do this before contacting a government office.
Create a simple timeline. Reconcile the payslip with the bank transfer and compare like with like: gross earnings, itemized lawful deductions, net pay due, and the amount received. A tax or insurance deduction already reflected in net pay is not itself a missing bank payment; an unexplained or disputed deduction still needs checking. See Reading a Korean Payslip.
Example
- Pay period: September 1–30
- Contractual payday: September 25
- Expected net pay after itemized lawful deductions: ₩2,800,000
- Actual payment: ₩1,800,000
- Missing amount: ₩1,000,000
- Employer explanation: “Cash-flow problem; payment next month”
If overtime or allowances are involved, calculate them separately.
If you do not know how to calculate overtime, do not invent a number. Write down your actual working hours and ask 1350 or the labor office which calculation applies.
Step 2: save evidence before access disappears
Wage cases become much harder when the worker knows money is missing but cannot show how the amount was calculated.
Save copies of:
- Your signed employment contract
- Any later contract amendment
- Payslips
- Bank statements or salary-deposit records
- Attendance records
- Clock-in and clock-out records
- Shift schedules
- Overtime approvals
- Emails or messenger conversations about pay
- Written promises about delayed payment
- Resignation or termination records, if you already left
If you use a company HR portal, download your personal records before your account is disabled.
Do not take confidential business material that you are not entitled to keep.
The goal is to preserve legitimate evidence about your own employment and wages.
No payslip? Save whatever proves the employment relationship
Some workers discover a second problem when wages are unpaid: the employer also failed to provide clear payroll records.
If you do not have a perfect set of documents, do not assume that means you have no case.
Collect what you do have:
- Hiring messages
- Work schedules
- Workplace photos
- Bank deposits from previous months
- Messages from a manager
- Attendance logs
- Instructions showing when and where you worked
Whether you legally qualify as a worker and what wages are owed are fact-specific questions, but missing paperwork is a reason to organize other evidence—not a reason to do nothing.
Step 3: ask the employer in writing
You do not have to start with an aggressive legal threat.
Send a simple message that creates a record.
“My salary for September was due on September 25. I expected net pay of ₩2,800,000 after itemized lawful deductions, but I received ₩1,800,000. Please confirm the reason for the ₩1,000,000 difference and the exact date when the remaining amount will be paid.”
This is better than:
“Why haven't you paid me?”
The first message establishes:
- The pay period
- The expected amount
- The actual amount
- The missing amount
- A request for a payment date
If HR promises payment on a particular day, save the message.
Step 4: call 1350 if you need labor-law guidance
MOEL 1350 telephone guide: hours, paid calls, and English/Chinese option 5. Checked 20 October 2026.
1350 is the Ministry of Employment and Labor's counseling service.
It handles questions including:
- Wages
- Severance pay
- Working hours
- Dismissal
- Annual leave
- Labor standards
- Industrial safety
Current telephone counseling hours are weekdays from 09:00 to 18:00.
1350 currently lists foreign-language telephone counseling in English and Chinese.
When you call, do not start with your entire employment history.
Start with four facts:
“I am a foreign worker in Korea. My salary was due on [date]. The unpaid amount is approximately [amount]. I am [still employed / already resigned]. What procedure should I use?”
Related AllThingsK8282 guide: Labor Help for Foreigners in Korea: 1345, 1350, and Multilingual Support
Step 5: file an unpaid-wage petition if the problem is not resolved
MOEL Labor Portal wage-arrears guide: filing route, investigation steps, and processing period. Checked 20 October 2026.
From the guide, follow the petition application link. It opens the portal login screen. If you cannot complete the required online identification, ask the competent local labor office about visiting with your records.
If the employer does not pay, you can ask the labor authorities to investigate.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor's Labor Portal currently provides a specific petition form for:
진정서(임금체불, 기타 근로기준 분야) — a petition for wage arrears and other labor-standards matters
An unpaid-wage petition can be submitted:
- Online through the Ministry of Employment and Labor's Labor Portal
- In person
The receiving authority is the relevant local Employment and Labor Office.
In practice, jurisdiction is generally based on the location of the workplace.
The Labor Portal wage-arrears guide lists 25 days, excluding Saturdays and public holidays, with extensions possible. This procedural timeframe does not promise payment recovery within that period. Checked October 20, 2026.
That does not guarantee every case will be completely resolved within exactly 25 calendar days. Investigation complexity, requests for additional evidence, procedural extensions, and disputes over the facts can affect the actual timeline.
Official source: Ministry of Employment and Labor Labor Portal — Petition for Wage Arrears and Labor Law Violations.
What is the difference between a petition and a criminal complaint?
The Korean terms are worth knowing.
진정 is generally a petition asking the labor authority to investigate the violation and help obtain the unpaid wages.
고소 is a complaint asking for criminal punishment for an alleged labor-law violation.
The Ministry's Labor Portal describes both options.
For many workers whose main goal is simply:
“I want the company to pay the wages it owes me.”
a wage-arrears petition is the common starting point.
If you are unsure which procedure fits your case, ask 1350 or the labor office rather than choosing based only on the English translation of the words.
What happens after you file?
A labor inspector can examine the facts of the case.
You may be asked to provide additional evidence or explain:
- When you started work
- Your agreed wage
- Your working hours
- Which wage period is unpaid
- Whether you are still employed
- When you resigned, if applicable
The employer may also be asked for payroll and employment records.
If the labor authority confirms wage arrears, the employer can be directed to pay the outstanding amount.
If the employer does not comply, the case can move beyond simple administrative guidance and may involve criminal procedures.
The MOEL Labor Portal procedure guide explains that an inspector issues a correction instruction when a violation is confirmed; failure to comply can lead to criminal investigation and referral to prosecutors.
Do not assume, however, that filing a petition guarantees immediate cash payment.
The labor investigation establishes and pursues the violation. Actually recovering money can sometimes require additional procedures.
Ask for a confirmation of unpaid wages when you need the next step
If wage arrears are officially confirmed, one important document can be the:
체불 임금등·사업주 확인서
This is generally translated as a confirmation of unpaid wages and the employer.
It can become important if you need to use Korea's substitute-payment system or pursue a civil claim.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor's Labor Portal provides a separate application process for this confirmation.
What if the company still cannot or will not pay?
Korea has a wage-claim guarantee system under which eligible workers can receive certain unpaid wages from the state through the Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service, with the government then seeking recovery from the employer.
One of the relevant systems is the 간이대지급금, often translated as a simplified substitute payment.
It is not automatic simply because your employer owes you money.
Eligibility depends on factors such as:
- Whether you are a current or former worker
- When you filed the wage-arrears petition or lawsuit
- How long the employer had been operating
- Which unpaid amounts are covered
- The official confirmation or judgment obtained
The Labor Portal substitute-payment guide says a qualifying former worker using the labor-office confirmation route generally must file the petition within one year from the day after retirement. Applying for payment is separate: the guide gives six months from issuance of the arrears confirmation. Confirm both deadlines with the labor office and Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service. Checked October 20, 2026.
The current simplified substitute-payment scheme covers specified portions of recent unpaid wages and, for qualifying former workers, certain retirement benefits, subject to statutory caps.
Because the deadlines and caps matter, do not wait until the end of a wage case to learn that this system exists.
Ask the labor inspector or Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service:
“If the employer does not pay after the arrears are confirmed, am I eligible for a simplified substitute payment, and what deadline applies to me?”
Official source: Ministry of Employment and Labor Labor Portal — Wage Arrears Resolution and Substitute Payment Guidance.
Current worker or former worker? The timing is different
If you are still employed, the important date is normally the regular wage payment date.
If you already resigned, the 14-day final-settlement rule becomes particularly important.
The payment dates in Articles 43 and 36 distinguish these situations:
- A current employee can seek relief after wages remain unpaid following the regular payment date.
- A former employee can file after wages or other money remain unpaid beyond the applicable 14-day post-retirement settlement period.
If you and the employer validly agreed to extend the post-retirement payment date due to special circumstances, explain that agreement when seeking advice.
Do not wait forever: wage claims have a limitation period
Labor Standards Act, Article 49: Korean text version effective 8 October 2026. Checked 20 October 2026.
Article 49 of the Labor Standards Act provides a three-year limitation period for wage claims under the Act.
That does not mean waiting for two years and eleven months is a good strategy.
Evidence disappears.
Managers leave.
Companies close.
Messages are deleted.
And some separate support programs have much shorter filing deadlines than the basic wage-claim limitation period.
If wages are clearly missing, start organizing the case early.
Official source: Korea Law Information Center — Labor Standards Act, Article 49.
Late-payment interest may also matter
Labor Standards Act, Article 37: Korean text version effective 8 October 2026. Checked 20 October 2026.
Enforcement Decree, Article 17: rate provision in version effective 23 October 2025. Checked 20 October 2026.
The Labor Standards Act contains separate rules on interest for overdue wages.
Under the current law and Enforcement Decree, the prescribed delayed-payment interest rate is 20% per year for amounts and periods covered by the rule.
However, statutory exceptions can apply in certain situations.
Do not simply multiply every unpaid amount by 20% and assume that is automatically the amount a labor office or court will award.
If delayed-payment interest could be significant in your case, ask the labor authority or a legal professional to confirm the applicable period and exceptions.
Official sources: Labor Standards Act, Article 37; Enforcement Decree of the Labor Standards Act, Article 17.
What if you need help in another language?
Ministry of Justice foreign-worker reporting announcement: published 13 July 2026; route introduced 27 May 2026. Checked 20 October 2026.
1350 currently provides direct foreign-language telephone counseling in English and Chinese.
If you need broader multilingual assistance, 1345 can be useful.
The Immigration Contact Center provides counseling in 20 languages on immigration and everyday issues affecting foreign residents.
In 2026, the Ministry of Justice also introduced a dedicated foreign-worker human-rights reporting route.
The Ministry of Justice’s July 13, 2026 announcement describes 1345, then option 1 for the dedicated foreign-worker reporting service introduced May 27, 2026. The general 1345 page gives a different description for option 1. Follow the current ARS prompts and ask for the dedicated foreign-worker human-rights reporting counselor if they differ. These online instructions were compared October 20, 2026; the live telephone menu was not tested. The reporting scope includes:
- Unpaid wages
- Physical assault
- Sexual harassment or sexual violence
- Passport confiscation
- Forced labor
The service can receive reports, provide counseling, and connect callers with relevant authorities. Unpaid wages are included in their own right; additional violence or coercion is not a stated condition. The general 1345 page lists weekdays 09:00–22:00, with Korean, English, and Chinese only after 18:00. Call during daytime hours if you need another language.
This does not replace the labor office's formal wage-arrears procedure.
Think of 1345 as especially useful when language, immigration status, or a broader human-rights problem is making it difficult to reach the correct agency.
Official source: Korea Immigration Service / Ministry of Justice — 1345 Foreign Human Rights Violation Reporting Service, introduced May 27, 2026.
If you are in immediate danger, unpaid wages are not the first problem to solve
If your employer or another person is threatening you, physically restraining you, assaulting you, or creating another immediate emergency, prioritize safety.
112 — Police
119 — Fire, rescue, and medical emergency
You can handle the wage claim after you are safe.
What if your visa depends on the employer?
A wage claim and your immigration status are two different issues.
Filing a labor petition does not automatically answer questions such as:
- Whether you can leave your current employer
- Whether you need permission to change workplaces
- Whether you must report the change
- How long you can remain in Korea after employment ends
If your status of stay is connected to employment, contact 1345 separately and explain:
- Your exact visa or status of stay
- Your current employer
- Whether you are still employed
- Your planned final working date
- Whether you have another employer lined up
Related AllThingsK8282 guide: From Student Status to Work in Korea: What to Verify Before You Start
A practical evidence checklist
Before visiting the labor office, try to organize one folder.
01 — Identity
- Passport copy
- Residence Card, if applicable
02 — Employment
- Employment contract
- Contract amendments
- Employment certificate, if available
03 — Wages
- Payslips
- Bank statements
- Salary calculations
04 — Working time
- Attendance records
- Shift schedules
- Overtime records
05 — Communication
- Emails
- KakaoTalk or other work messages
- Written promises to pay
06 — Timeline
Create a one-page timeline:
- Date work started
- Normal payday
- First missed payment
- Amounts owed
- Dates you asked for payment
- Employer responses
- Final working date, if applicable
A clear timeline can be more useful than hundreds of unsorted screenshots.
Simple explanation to give 1350 or the labor office
“I worked for [company] from [date] to [date/current]. My agreed salary was [amount]. [Amount] for [period] has not been paid. The contractual payday was [date]. I have my contract, bank records, payslips, and messages. I want to know how to file an unpaid-wage petition.”
This gives the counselor or inspector enough structure to ask useful follow-up questions.
Common mistakes that make wage cases harder
Waiting because the employer keeps promising payment
A genuine short payroll error can happen.
But repeated promises without dates or written confirmation should not replace action indefinitely.
Deleting messages after an argument
Keep relevant communication.
Closing your Korean bank account immediately after resigning
Your employer, a substitute-payment process, tax refund, or another settlement may still need a valid payment account.
Leaving Korea without saving your records
It may still be possible to pursue a claim after departure, but dealing with documents and communication from overseas can be harder.
Mixing wages, severance, expenses, and damages into one unexplained number
Break the claim down.
Assuming a 1350 phone call means a formal petition has been filed
It does not.
Ask:
“Is this only counseling, or has my formal petition been filed?”
If the employer pays after you file
Keep proof of the payment.
Do not assume the case automatically disappears simply because money arrived.
If a formal petition is already pending, tell the labor inspector what was paid and whether you believe the full amount has been resolved.
Compare the deposit with your claimed amounts first.
One useful reality check
Filing an unpaid-wage claim is not the same as pressing a button that guarantees money in a few days.
There may be disagreement about:
- Whether you were legally an employee
- How many hours you worked
- Whether a payment was wages or an expense
- Whether overtime was properly calculated
- Whether the employer already paid part of the amount
That is why the best thing you can do early is make the facts easy to understand.
Contract → work performed → amount earned → payday → amount paid → amount missing.
Everything else comes after that.
Bottom line
If wages are unpaid in Korea, foreign workers do not need to choose between doing nothing and immediately hiring a lawyer.
There is a clear escalation path:
Document the missing pay
↓
Request payment in writing
↓
Ask 1350 for labor guidance
↓
File an unpaid-wage petition with the Employment and Labor Office
↓
Obtain official confirmation if required
↓
Use substitute-payment or civil recovery procedures if necessary
And when the situation also involves language barriers, immigration, threats, passport confiscation, violence, or coercion, 1345 can help connect the foreign-worker side of the problem with the relevant authorities.
The most important thing is not knowing every section of Korean labor law.
It is preserving the evidence and taking the next correct step before the problem becomes harder to prove.
Related guide: Employment contracts in Korea.
Related AllThingsK8282 guides
- Employment Contracts in Korea: Questions to Ask Before You Sign — Useful for checking salary, payday, working hours, and other written employment conditions.
- Korean Severance Pay for Foreign Workers: Eligibility and Claims — Severance and unpaid salary are related but legally separate calculations.
- From Student Status to Work in Korea: What to Verify Before You Start — Useful when an employment problem may also affect your status of stay.
Official sources checked
- Korea Law Information Center — Labor Standards Act
Articles 6, 36, 37, 43, and 49 were checked for equal treatment, final settlement, delayed-payment interest, regular wage payment, and limitation of wage claims. - Enforcement Decree of the Labor Standards Act
Checked for the current statutory delayed-payment interest rate. - Ministry of Employment and Labor — Labor Portal
Checked for the current unpaid-wage petition process, filing methods, processing information, wage-arrears remedies, confirmation documents, and substitute-payment guidance. - Ministry of Employment and Labor — 1350 Counseling Center
Checked for labor counseling, foreign-language support, and current wage-arrears procedural guidance. - Korea Immigration Service / Ministry of Justice — 1345 Immigration Contact Center
Checked for multilingual support and the 2026 foreign-worker human-rights reporting route.
Editorial note: The original source review was October 1, 2026. On October 20, 2026 (KST), the cited wage rules and official service procedures were rechecked, the net-pay example was clarified, and the published 1345 menu discrepancy was explained. Check dates are review dates; legal and service commencement dates are identified separately. No live telephone call or individual case review was conducted. Procedures, support schemes, caps, deadlines, and eligibility requirements can change. A labor counselor can explain general procedures, but the amount recoverable in an individual case depends on the evidence and applicable law.
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