These are two kinds of insurance you should understand before you get hurt or lose your job. If your workplace is covered, you can use Industrial Accident Insurance whatever your visa, but Employment Insurance (unemployment benefit) may not be automatic depending on your visa, so it's important to check your own status now.
As of October 2026
① Industrial Accident Insurance (산재보험) (insurance that pays for treatment and living costs while you rest if you're hurt or become ill because of work) can be claimed, if your workplace is covered, whatever your visa, even if your employer never enrolled you (some workplaces, such as small farming and fishing businesses, are excluded by law). The employer pays the whole premium.
② Employment Insurance (고용보험) (insurance that pays an unemployment benefit (실업급여) when you lose your job) is different. For foreigners, enrollment may not be automatic, depending on your visa. If you don't check "Am I enrolled?" while you're still working, you won't be able to get the benefit when you actually lose your job.
③ The biggest thing to watch out for: If there's an accident and your employer says, "Don't file for Industrial Accident Insurance, we'll take care of it ourselves" (an informal private settlement (공상처리)), it may look easier now. But if your treatment drags on or you have lasting effects later, it's hard to be protected. Section 4 explains this in detail.
This guide uses a lot of Korean administrative terms. They're hard at first, so here's one table that covers them all. If you hit a word you don't know while reading, come back here.
| Term | Plain explanation |
|---|---|
| Industrial Accident Insurance (산재보험, 산업재해보상보험) | Insurance where the state (KCOMWEL) pays for treatment and living costs if you're hurt while working (a work accident) or become ill because of work (a work-related illness). Often shortened to "산재" |
| Employment Insurance (고용보험) | Insurance that pays an unemployment benefit when you lose your job, and helps with job searching and vocational training |
| Unemployment benefit (실업급여, 구직급여) | Money you receive while looking for a new job after losing your old one. The amount is calculated per day, and in practice you receive it every 1 to 4 weeks, as a lump for that period. The official legal name is "구직급여" |
| KCOMWEL (Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service, 근로복지공단) | The organization that runs Industrial Accident Insurance. It decides whether to approve treatment costs and pay sick-leave benefits |
| Employment Center (고용센터) | A local office of the Ministry of Employment and Labor that handles Employment Insurance (unemployment benefit). You apply for unemployment benefit here |
| Medical care benefit (요양급여) | Money that covers the cost of treatment for a work injury (hospital bills, medicine, etc.). Once approved, the basic rule is that you get treated without paying out of pocket |
| Sick-leave (work absence) benefit (휴업급여) | Money paid while you can't work because of treatment for a work injury, about 70% of your usual wage |
| Informal private settlement (공상처리) | When your employer says they'll handle treatment costs themselves instead of you filing an Industrial Accident claim. It's a private deal with no legal protection |
| Separation certificate (이직확인서) | A document your employer submits to the Employment Center when you leave, stating why you left. It's the most important document in the unemployment benefit review |
| Insured days (피보험단위기간) | The number of days you were enrolled in Employment Insurance and premiums were paid. To get unemployment benefit, you need to have enough of them |
| Workplace (사업장) | The company where a worker works (a factory, farm, shop, or any place of work). The owner or representative of that company is called the "employer" (사업주) |
| Workplace change (사업장 변경, E-9) | When an E-9 worker leaves their current company and moves to another one. You can't move freely. You need a justifiable reason, and you must apply at the Employment Center and get permission |
| Voluntary enrollment (임의가입) | Joining by applying yourself, instead of being enrolled automatically by law. For foreigners, Employment Insurance often works this way depending on the visa |
| Work24 (고용24) | The Ministry of Employment and Labor website (work24.go.kr) where you register as a job seeker, apply for unemployment benefit, and more, online |
You can file for Industrial Accident Insurance after an accident happens, but you need to check Employment Insurance ahead of time.
To get unemployment benefit, you need "a total of 180 days or more enrolled in Employment Insurance within the 18 months before the day you left your job". Any time you were enrolled in Employment Insurance earlier than those 18 months does not count toward these 180 days.
Even if you worked, periods when you weren't enrolled in Employment Insurance don't count as days, as a rule. But you need to look at two cases separately.
① Your visa is one where enrollment is required by law, but your employer failed to report your enrollment: If you file a request to confirm insured status (피보험자격 확인청구) (a request asking KCOMWEL to recognize your enrollment history) with KCOMWEL and it's recognized, that period is added to your enrollment period.
② Your visa is one where you enroll by applying yourself (voluntary enrollment), but you never applied: Enrollment takes effect from the day you apply, so in general the period before you applied can't be recognized retroactively.
For Korean nationals, Employment Insurance is automatic when they start a job. For foreigners, though, it depends on your visa. Below is the general breakdown (as of October 2026; the detailed rules may change when the Enforcement Decree is amended).
| Category | Applicable visas (examples) | Employment Insurance (unemployment benefit) |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic enrollment (mandatory coverage) | Permanent Residence (F-5), Marriage Migrant (F-6), some Residence (F-2) holders | You're enrolled automatically when you start work, like Korean nationals |
| Enroll by applying yourself (voluntary enrollment) | Professional and specific-activity visas (E-1 to E-7), Overseas Korean (F-4), Short-Term Employment (C-4), etc. | Not automatic. You apply yourself, and your employer's consent is also needed (Ministry of Government Legislation interpretation). If your employer doesn't know or doesn't consent, you may be working without being enrolled |
| Only partly automatic | Non-Professional Employment (E-9), Working Visit (H-2) | Only the employment stability and vocational skills development premium is automatic, and you must apply separately for unemployment benefit |
The detailed rules for each visa may change when the Enforcement Decree (the law) is amended. The surest way to know your own status is to check it yourself using the methods below.
How to check your enrollment status
① Look at your pay slip for an "Employment Insurance" deduction. If it isn't there, you're quite likely not enrolled.
② Log in to Work24 (work24.go.kr) or KCOMWEL's Employment & Industrial Accident Insurance Total Service (total.comwel.or.kr), where you can look up your "insured status history". If it's hard to do in Korean, visit your nearest Employment Center with your Alien Registration Card (ARC) and ask.
③ If you're not enrolled, ask your employer to enroll you and ask the Employment Center how to apply. If you can't sort it out alone, use the contacts in Section 6.
If you're hurt while working at a workplace covered by Industrial Accident Insurance, the insurance applies to foreigners, whatever their visa type, even if they have no legal residence status (the Supreme Court has taken the same position). The employer pays the whole premium, and the worker pays nothing. And even if your employer failed to report enrollment, the worker can still get compensation as long as the workplace is a covered one. In that case, KCOMWEL pays first and collects from the employer later.
However, some workplaces are excluded by law from Industrial Accident Insurance. Typical examples are unincorporated farming, forestry (excluding logging), fishing, and hunting businesses with fewer than 5 regular employees (people who work there on a regular basis), and household employment, where a person is hired directly by a household. At such places, workers are protected by Industrial Accident Insurance only if the employer separately enrolled with KCOMWEL's approval. If you work in farming or fishing, check ahead of time.
① Medical care benefit — Helps pay for treatment.
② Sick-leave benefit — Pays about 70% of your usual wage while you can't work because of treatment.
③ Disability benefit — If a disability remains after treatment, you receive this depending on its severity.
④ Survivors' benefit — Paid to the family if the worker dies in the accident.
Steps to apply
Tell the hospital honestly how you were hurt at work. Before the Industrial Accident approval result comes out, you can get treated first under regular health insurance, and if it's later approved as an Industrial Accident, you can claim back the co-payment you paid from KCOMWEL. Collect photos of the injury and the scene, messages with your employer, and contact details of any witnesses.
You need the "medical care benefit application form" and the "medical opinion for the application" that the hospital writes. Tell the hospital you want to file for Industrial Accident Insurance, and they'll guide you.
You can go to a nearby KCOMWEL branch, or submit online through the Employment & Industrial Accident Insurance Total Service. If it's a designated Industrial Accident hospital, the hospital sometimes files for you.
You can apply even if your employer refuses to sign. KCOMWEL notifies the employer directly.
By law, the standard processing time is 7 days. But if an investigation or review is needed, it can take longer, and an illness caused by work (a work-related illness) often takes much longer.
Good to know
① Filing deadline: You must claim medical care and sick-leave benefits within 3 years, and disability and survivors' benefits within 5 years (statute of limitations). But if your treatment isn't finished, it's best to apply as soon as possible.
② Protection from dismissal: As a rule, your employer can't fire you while you're being treated for a work injury and for 30 days afterward (Labor Standards Act). Punishing you for filing an Industrial Accident claim is also illegal.
③ If your claim is denied, you can challenge it with a request for review and a request for re-review, or you can go straight to an administrative lawsuit. The request for review and request for re-review are not procedures you must go through first. An administrative lawsuit must be filed within 90 days of the day you learned of the decision (within 1 year of the day the decision was made).
④ Effect on your stay: If you need long treatment for a work injury, there's a path to change your status to a visa for Industrial Accident treatment (G-1) and continue your stay. But this isn't an automatic right, and immigration authorities decide case by case. If you're worried about your stay, contact the counseling contacts in Section 6 before you apply.
Separately from Industrial Accident claims, accidents and illnesses that aren't caused by work are handled through health insurance or a foreigner-specific accident insurance you bought yourself.
If a Non-Professional Employment (E-9) worker is hurt at work and can't keep working at that company, this is recognized as a reason to change workplaces. Normally you must apply for a workplace change within 1 month after your contract ends and get permission for the new workplace within 3 months of the application date, but there is an exception: if you couldn't apply or get permission because of a work injury or illness, the period is counted from the day that reason ends. If this applies to you, ask the Foreign Workforce Counseling Center (1577-0071).
Even if you have no legal residence status (you're staying illegally), you can still file for Industrial Accident Insurance itself. However, this guide has found no official source on how immigration enforcement or reporting is handled during the application. We can't say it is completely safe, so in this situation, always get advice first from the Korea Legal Aid Corporation (132) or a support organization for foreigners.
An informal private settlement (공상처리) is when your employer says they'll handle treatment costs themselves instead of you filing an Industrial Accident claim. It's not a system set by law. It's a private promise between the employer and the worker.
| Official Industrial Accident claim | Informal private settlement |
|---|---|
| The state (KCOMWEL) pays treatment costs and sick-leave benefits | The employer pays only what they promised, and only when they feel like it |
| An official record is kept | No record is kept. Your proof that you were hurt also gets weaker over time |
| You're covered even if treatment drags on or the injury comes back | If the employer says "we can't pay any more" halfway through, you have little way to push back |
| You can get a disability grade and compensation for lasting effects | Even if lasting effects remain, it's hard to get legal compensation |
Why would an employer suggest an informal private settlement? The claim that "premiums go up if you file for Industrial Accident Insurance" is mostly exaggerated (premiums vary with accident history only at workplaces above a certain size). The real reason is often to avoid burdens like a labor office investigation, being named in a serious accident announcement, bidding disadvantages, and safety management liability. Those burdens are the employer's problem, and they're no reason for a worker to give up treatment and compensation.
Be suspicious if you hear things like this
"If you file for Industrial Accident Insurance, you'll get fired / have visa problems" · "Don't tell the hospital you were hurt at work" · "Don't file for Industrial Accident Insurance, just get treated with regular health insurance only" · being told to sign a paper saying "I will never make any claim" · a company employee keeps following you around at the hospital
Even if you've already agreed to an informal private settlement, you can still file for Industrial Accident Insurance later as long as you're within the legal deadline. However, part of the money you already received may be deducted. It's best to get advice before you sign.
Also, hiding an Industrial Accident, or telling someone to hide one, is punishable for the employer (Occupational Safety and Health Act), and punishing a worker for filing an Industrial Accident claim is punishable too. Knowing that your employer is breaking the law can help you stand firm against pressure.
You get unemployment benefit if you have 180 days or more enrolled in Employment Insurance and you lost your job for a reason that isn't your fault.
Here, 18 months is the period that sets "how far back your enrollment record is counted." Add up all the days you were enrolled in Employment Insurance within the 18 months before the day you left your job, and you need 180 days or more. Here, a "day" doesn't mean a calendar day. Only days that form the basis for receiving pay (days actually worked plus paid holidays) are counted. Unpaid holidays are left out. Any time you were enrolled earlier than those 18 months doesn't count toward these 180 days.
Example: If you leave your job at the end of October 2026, the period reviewed is May 2025 to October 2026. If the days you were enrolled in that period add up to 180 days or more, you meet the condition. If you were enrolled for only about 3 months (about 90 days), that's not enough, and a record of 1 year of enrollment from 3 years ago is outside this period, so it isn't counted.
The 180 days don't need to be consecutive, and they add up even if you change companies in between.
180 days may not be about 6 months. For example, if you work 5 days a week (Saturday unpaid, Sunday a paid weekly rest day), 6 days are counted per week, so you need to work about 7 months or more to reach 180 days. If you work in a pattern where pay is given for all 7 days of the week, it's about 6 months. That's why checking your enrollment in Section 1 comes first.
What if you quit on your own? As a rule, you can't get it. But you can get it if a "justifiable reason for leaving" is recognized. For example: unpaid wages or pay below the minimum wage · working conditions in your contract are very different from reality · discrimination, sexual harassment, or workplace bullying · the company closed or went bankrupt, or you were asked to resign · a commute of 3 hours or more round trip · illness, or needing to care for family · pregnancy, childbirth, or child care · your contract period ended. However, you need evidence (text messages, pay records, a medical certificate, etc.).
Also, each reason comes with additional conditions. For example, a commute of 3 hours or more round trip is not enough by itself; the commute must have become difficult for a recognized reason, such as a workplace relocation, a transfer, or moving to live with your spouse. For leaving because of illness or child care, what matters is whether you had no choice because your employer didn't allow a job change or leave. Even if your reason for leaving is recognized, you can receive benefit only if you are currently willing and able to work and can look for a job.
It's also hard to get in these cases
Unemployment benefit is money for people who are "willing to work but have no job", that is, people who are unemployed. So if you have a business registration certificate, you're generally not treated as unemployed (Ministry of Employment and Labor counseling center guidance). The same goes if you're doing other work or have income. The standard is the same for Koreans and foreigners.
There are exceptions, though. If you only have a business registration but you're not actually operating, you can apply by submitting business closure (or suspension) paperwork. Rental business owners who only lease out a home or shop (no office, no employees) can sometimes get it. If your situation is unclear, ask the Employment Center or 1350 before you apply.
How much do you get? (for those leaving a job in 2026)
It's calculated as 60% of your average wage as a daily amount. Each time you get the "unemployment verification" below, you receive that daily amount multiplied by the number of days in that period. The daily cap is 68,100 won and the daily floor is 66,048 won. The floor is based on someone who works 8 hours a day (8 scheduled working hours per day), and for people who worked shorter hours the floor is lower. For example, it's 33,024 won for 4 hours a day and 49,536 won for 6 hours.
Yes, the gap between the two really is that small. The floor is 80% of the minimum wage (10,320 won per hour) for 8 hours, and the cap is set by law, so the range is narrow. The 60% amount gets pushed into this range, so if your monthly pay is lower than roughly 3,300,000 won you get the floor, and if it's higher you stop at the cap. As a result, most people who worked 8 hours a day receive about 66,000 to 68,000 won per day (roughly 2,000,000 won a month).
You receive it for 120 to 270 days, depending on how long you were enrolled and your age. You must apply and receive it within 12 months after leaving your job, and you can't get it after that. If you apply late, you can't receive the part that falls beyond 12 months, so apply as soon as possible after you leave.
Steps to apply
Your employer writes down why you left and submits it to the Employment Center. If the reason is written differently from what really happened (for example, you were dismissed but it says "resigned voluntarily"), you can object at the Employment Center.
This is the step where you register online (Work24) that "I'm actively looking for a new job now." Unemployment benefit is money for people who are willing and able to work but can't find a job, so this registration and your job searching afterward matter most. Registering isn't the end. To keep receiving it, you need to do real job-search activities afterward, such as job applications, interviews, job-seeking lectures, and vocational training, and keep records of them.
This is a session that explains the unemployment benefit system. You must take it before you apply at the Employment Center, and you can choose online or in person. If you take it online, you don't need to go to the center.
After finishing the orientation, visit with your Alien Registration Card (ARC) and a copy of your bank book to submit the application form. You don't need a separate trip to the center for the orientation. The visit is just to hand in this application. Some people can submit it online, but in most cases visiting in person is the rule.
After you apply, you wait 7 days. From then on, every 1 to 4 weeks you must prove that "I did job-search activities during that time" to get unemployment verification (실업인정), and the money is usually paid into your own account the day after you're verified. If you didn't do job-search activities or can't prove them, that period isn't recognized, so keep careful records such as your job application history. The Employment Center will explain how verification works and how many times you need it.
Extra care by visa
① Non-Professional Employment (E-9): Unemployment benefit and Departure Guarantee Insurance (출국만기보험) (money you receive instead of severance pay) are completely different systems. Also, if you lose your job, there's a deadline for your stay. Within 1 month from the day your work contract ends, you must file a "workplace change application" (사업장 변경, an application asking to be allowed to work at another company) yourself at the Employment Center for your area of residence (an exception applies if you couldn't apply because of a work injury or illness, pregnancy or childbirth, etc.), and within 3 months of the workplace change application date you must get permission for the change of workplace to the new workplace (permission from the immigration office). If you don't apply or get permission within these deadlines, you may have to leave Korea. If you couldn't apply or get permission because of a work injury or illness, pregnancy or childbirth, etc., an exception applies and the period is counted from the day that reason ends. The period you receive unemployment benefit and the period you're allowed to stay can be different, so be sure to talk to the Foreign Workforce Counseling Center (1577-0071) before you leave your job.
② Professional and specific-activity visas (E-7) and other work visas: If you lose your job, your employer must report it to immigration within 15 days, and you need to move to another company or change your status, for example to Job Seeker (D-10). No official source has been found saying that receiving unemployment benefit hurts your visa, but the more realistic risk is that you can't stay long on a work visa without a job.
| Contact | What you can ask |
|---|---|
| Ministry of Employment and Labor Counseling Center 1350 | Labor issues in general, such as unpaid wages, unfair dismissal, and unemployment benefit (check which languages are supported before you use it) |
| Foreign Workforce Counseling Center 1577-0071 | Counseling for Non-Professional Employment (E-9) workers (supports several languages) |
| Immigration Contact Center 1345 | Visa and stay issues |
| Korea Legal Aid Corporation 132 | Free legal advice, support for unpaid wage and Industrial Accident lawsuits |
| KCOMWEL | Questions about Industrial Accident Insurance applications and results. Visit a nearby branch or check the website |
Some foreign worker support centers closed after their budgets were cut in 2024, so whether one is open differs by region. Always call to check before you go.
① While you're working, check your Employment Insurance enrollment status now. If you're not enrolled, you can't get unemployment benefit when you lose your job.
② If you're hurt at work, you can file for Industrial Accident Insurance whatever your visa, as long as your workplace is covered. Even if your employer suggests an informal private settlement, get advice before you sign anything.
③ If you've lost your job, check your separation certificate, and apply through Work24 and the Employment Center within 12 months after leaving.
If it's hard, don't decide alone. Use the counseling contacts in Section 6.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can I file for Industrial Accident Insurance if I'm staying illegally? | If your workplace is covered by Industrial Accident Insurance, the coverage itself doesn't depend on your residence status. However, no official source has been found on how filing affects your stay, so get advice first from the Korea Legal Aid Corporation (132) or similar before you apply. |
| My employer never enrolled me in the 4 major social insurances. Can I still file for Industrial Accident Insurance? | Yes, if your workplace is covered by Industrial Accident Insurance. Even if your employer failed to report enrollment, the worker can get compensation, and in that case KCOMWEL pays first and collects from the employer. However, at workplaces excluded by law, such as unincorporated farming and fishing businesses with fewer than 5 employees, it's hard to get compensation from Industrial Accident Insurance unless the employer separately enrolled. In that case, contact the counseling contacts in Section 6 first. |
| I wasn't enrolled in Employment Insurance. Can I still get unemployment benefit? | In principle, it's difficult. You need an enrollment record. However, if you really worked but your employer didn't report it, you can bring proof to the Employment Center and ask them to confirm your enrollment. |
| Will getting unemployment benefit cause problems for my visa? | No official source has been found saying that receiving unemployment benefit itself hurts your visa. But a work visa doesn't let you stay long without a job, so check your permitted stay period separately. |
| If I have E-9 Departure Guarantee Insurance, do I not need unemployment benefit? | No. They're completely different systems. Departure Guarantee Insurance is money you receive instead of severance pay, while unemployment benefit comes from Employment Insurance. |
This guide is for general information only, and visa-by-visa enrollment rules, benefit amounts, and so on may change when laws are amended. For your exact situation, check directly with the Employment Center, KCOMWEL, or the counseling contacts above.