What must be in your labour contract

Your labour contract is the evidence that protects you if a dispute arises later. Always get it and keep it.

What must be stated

1. Wages — how much, how calculated, when paid, by what method
2. Working hours — start and end times, rest breaks
3. Holidays — weekly holiday and days off
4. Annual leave
5. Your duties and workplace
6. Contract period (if fixed-term)

Steps

1. Sign the contract before you start work.
2. Ask about anything you don't understand on the spot. If you need interpretation, call 1350 and check on a three-way call.
3. Photograph it before signing.
4. Receive a copy of the signed contract. Not giving you one is illegal.
5. Back the photo up to the cloud.

What you need

• Passport and Alien Registration Card
• A phone to photograph the contract

Where to go

• 1350 Ministry of Employment and Labor (contract review advice)
• Your employment centre (E-9 uses the standard labour contract)
• Your local support centre for foreign workers

Questions people ask

They won't give me a contract. Providing it in writing is the employer's duty. Get advice from 1350. Until then, confirm the terms by message so there is a record.

They want me to sign a contract with blanks. Do not sign. Unfavourable terms can be filled in later.

They make me do work different from the contract. If the contract and reality differ, talk to 1350. For E-9 this can be grounds for changing workplace.

I can't read Korean. See the contract-language guide. You can ask for a translation in your own language.

Take care

If only the employer holds the contract, you cannot check it if the content changes later. Always secure a copy.

Related

contract-language · labor-standards-basics · minimum-wage · working-hours

Source

Ministry of Employment and Labor www.moel.go.kr / As of 2026-08