When a Korean employer doesn't pay or pays late...What did you do?

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Permalink Reply by Kent Wong on August 30, 2010 at 4:22am

Going to the Labor Board is probably the best bet, assuming the employee has legal standing (i.e. not working illegally). That mere threat is sometimes more than enough to compel an employer to pay up in a more timely manner. This is probably better (ad more effective) than hiring a lawyer. Anecdotally, I've known Koreans to continue to work for 6 months without being paid by their (usually small) company, while some have cut their losses and moved on after a month of non-payment of salary.

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Permalink Reply by Simon Hoggett on September 5, 2010 at 11:16pm

Are you talking about neglicence on the part of the employee? Or with intent?

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Permalink Reply by Travis Kemp on September 6, 2010 at 12:00am

i'd go to labor board maybe, but most people i know who go there, don't get a lot of help. all they can do is issue letters to the employer in question. I don't know. I've never done it. I, on one occasion it happened to me, played nice for 1 month after he "conveniently" let me go. After being nice I told him to buck up or I'd take every shady thing he did to immigration. I highly doubt he's in business now. Wouldn't do it again though. I'm probably leaving the ROK anyway. Tired of it all

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Permalink Reply by Hannah Nedrow on September 6, 2010 at 2:21am

Depends. I've had it happen a couple times, and I managed to resolved it by having a fit, threating to report them and otherwise embarrass them publicly, and actually not showing up for work. There is a word in Korean called "뗏법" which means something like "the law of throwing a fit." Some say it is the strongest law here. Certainly, it is not be appropriate for every situation, but sometimes in Korea you have to make a show of how angry you are--even if, like me, you aren't actually the type to loose your temper.

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