Checking your labour contract in your own language
Do not sign a contract you cannot read. You can ask for a translation, or check it with an interpreter.
Who this covers
- Any foreign worker who struggles to read a Korean contract
- Especially E-9 workers signing a contract soon after arrival
Steps
- If you are E-9, check the standard labour contract. There are forms with your country's language alongside Korean, available on EPS www.eps.go.kr.
- Ask for the translation. Say clearly that you want to know what it says.
- If there is no translation, bring in an interpreter. Call 1350 and go through the items one by one on a three-way call.
- Photograph the Korean and translated versions side by side.
- If the two versions differ, don't sign — get advice.
What you need
- A phone (camera and translation app)
- Passport and Alien Registration Card
Where to go
- 1350 Ministry of Employment and Labor (interpreted advice)
- EPS www.eps.go.kr (standard labour contract forms)
- Your local support centre for foreign workers (they will read it with you)
- 1345 Immigration Contact Center
Questions people ask
Can I just use a translation app? Yes. But app translation can get things like wage formulas wrong, so have a person check those.
They say "I'll translate it for you later". Delay signing. It is hard to undo after you sign.
I already signed. Take the photo to 1350 or a support centre for foreign workers. Terms below the legal minimum are void even if signed.
Take care
If a broker rushes you saying "it's just a formality", stop right there. A contract with the wage or hours fields left blank is especially dangerous.
Related
employment-contract · labor-standards-basics · e9-visa-basics
Source
Ministry of Employment and Labor, EPS www.eps.go.kr / As of 2026-08