Two of Korea’s four social insurances protect you as a worker. Industrial accident insurance (산재보험) covers every employee in Korea from day one, including foreigners without a valid visa, and your employer pays all of it. Employment insurance (고용보험), which pays unemployment and parental leave benefits, depends on your visa.
Key facts
| Industrial accident insurance | All employees, any visa or none; employer pays 100% (average rate 1.47% of pay in 2026) |
| Employment insurance | Automatic for F-2, F-5, F-6; opt-in for most work visas; you pay 0.9% of pay |
| Accident claims | Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service (근로복지공단), 1588-0075 |
| Employment insurance help | Employment Center (고용센터) or call 1350 |
| Claim deadline (accidents) | Generally 3 years from when the right arises |
Industrial accident insurance (산재보험)
Who is covered
Any worker at any workplace in Korea, whatever its size. It covers foreigners on any visa, and courts have held that it also covers workers who are undocumented or working outside their visa. You’re covered even if your employer never registered you or never paid the premium. The insurer pays you and collects from the employer later.
What counts
- Injuries and illnesses caused by your work: accidents on site, illness from chemicals, dust or noise, overwork-related heart or brain illness, and mental illness from workplace harassment.
- Commuting accidents: accidents on your normal route to or from work are covered.
Treatment of 3 days or less isn’t covered by the insurance; your employer must compensate those cases directly under the Labor Standards Act.
What it pays
| Benefit | What you get |
|---|---|
| Medical care (요양급여) | Treatment costs for the work injury, without the normal patient share |
| Temporary disability (휴업급여) | 70% of your average wage for each day you can’t work |
| Disability (장해급여) | A pension or lump sum if a lasting disability remains |
| Nursing, survivors, funeral | Care costs; payments to your family if you die from a work accident |
Benefits are calculated from your average wage, so keep your payslips and bank records.
You earn ₩2,700,000 a month and break your arm at work, missing 2 months. The insurance pays your treatment and about ₩3.8 million in temporary disability benefit for those 2 months (70% of your average wage), even if your employer had not enrolled you.
How to claim
- Get treatment and tell the doctor it happened at work. Hospitals designated for industrial accident care (산재보험 의료기관) can file the first claim with you.
- Submit a claim for medical care (요양급여신청서) to the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service, online or at a branch. Your employer’s signature isn’t required.
- Collect evidence: photos, witness names, messages, your work schedule.
- If the claim is refused, you can ask for a review. A foreign worker support center (call 1644-0644 for help in many languages) or free legal aid can help; see free legal help.
Some employers ask injured workers to accept a private cash settlement (공상 처리) instead. Think twice: if the injury gets worse later, you may have no coverage. Filing an official claim is your legal right.
Employment insurance (고용보험)
Employment insurance pays the job-seeking benefit (unemployment), parental leave and maternity benefits, and funds job training. In 2026 you pay 0.9% of pay and your employer pays 0.9% plus 0.25% to 0.85% for job-support programs, depending on company size.
| Your visa | Coverage |
|---|---|
| F-2, F-5, F-6 | Automatic |
| D-7, D-8, D-9 | Automatic, unless your country doesn’t cover Koreans in a similar scheme |
| F-4, and work visas E-1 to E-7 (e.g. E-2, E-7) | Only if you apply to join |
| E-9, H-2 | Covered for job-support and training; unemployment and parental leave benefits only if you apply |
| Students and other non-work visas | Not covered |
If you have a choice, joining is usually worth it: 0.9% of pay buys access to unemployment benefits and paid parental leave. Read the full rules in unemployment benefits.
In September 2026 the government announced a plan to raise the premium to 1.0% each for workers and employers from 2027. It still needs the decree to be amended.
Extra insurance for E-9 workers
Employers and workers under the Employment Permit System must also take out special policies:
- Departure guarantee insurance (출국만기보험): the employer pays monthly; it funds your severance when you leave.
- Wage guarantee insurance (보증보험): the employer’s policy that covers unpaid wages (required for most, not all, employers).
- Return cost insurance (귀국비용보험): you pay; it covers your flight home.
- Casualty insurance (상해보험): you pay; it covers injury, illness or death outside work.
Claims for departure guarantee and return cost insurance can be made when you leave Korea; your employer or the support center can show you how.
Common questions
I’m undocumented. Will claiming industrial accident compensation get me deported?
The claim is about your injury and the work you did, not your visa, and you’re entitled to benefits. If you’re worried about immigration, talk first to a foreign worker support center or legal aid before you file.
My employer says I’m a “freelancer,” so no insurance applies. Is that true?
Not necessarily. If you work set hours under the employer’s direction for a wage, you’re legally an employee whatever the contract calls you. Some freelance jobs, like delivery riders, are also covered by special rules.
Does industrial accident insurance replace my health insurance?
For the work injury only. Treatment for other illnesses still goes through National Health Insurance.
Official sources
This guide explains the general rules as of the date above. Rules change and every case is different, so confirm with the office named here (or the 1345 Immigration Contact Center) before an important decision. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.