Gathering evidence of unpaid wages
Evidence makes the process much faster. It does not have to be complete — starting now still helps.
What counts as evidence
- The labour contract — the document that set the terms
- Attendance records — fingerprint or card logs, work diaries, your own calendar or notes, a daily photo of the clock
- Payslips — the basis of the calculation
- Bank transfer records — what you actually received
- Message records — chat, SMS, call recordings. "I'll pay you next week" is decisive
- Colleagues' statements — people in the same situation
- Photos — work clothes, the site, the dormitory, your entry pass
Steps
- Record your hours every day. A notebook, a phone note, a calendar — anything.
- Note the date and amount when you are paid. If you were not paid, write "unpaid".
- Keep conversations. Promises made verbally should be confirmed by message: "You said you would pay on the ○th, correct?"
- Back everything up to the cloud. It survives losing your phone or having it taken.
- Secure copies of the contract and payslips before you leave.
What you need
- A phone and a cloud account
- One notebook
Where to go
- 1350 Ministry of Employment and Labor (advice on what evidence is needed)
- Your local support centre for foreign workers
- 132 Korea Legal Aid Corporation
Questions people ask
I have no records at all. You can still report. Colleagues' statements, entry logs, site photos and transport card records all count. Get advice from 1350.
Can I record conversations? You may record a conversation you are part of. Secretly recording a conversation you are not part of is not allowed.
My boss told me to delete the records. That is a demand to destroy evidence. Do not comply, and keep a record of that conversation itself.
Take care
Do not leave your phone with the company. If you live in a dormitory, make sure important material is uploaded to the cloud.
Related
unpaid-wages-report · wage-claim-labor-office · wage-payment-rules
Source
Ministry of Employment and Labor www.moel.go.kr / As of 2026-08