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Definition of Employment Permit System for Foreigners

The Employment Permit System allows employers who have failed to hire native workers to legally hire an adequate number of foreign workers and is a system that the government uses to introduce and manage foreign workers in Korea in an organized manner.
- Construct efficient employment management system for foreign workers
- Apply identical labor conditions and human rights as native workers
- To prevent abuse, the government selects and invites foreign workers
- Most countries, short of manpower due to economic development and an aging society, are introducing legal employment of foreign workers.
Permitted category of business for foreign workers

- Under the Foreign Employment Permit, foreign workers are restricted to be only allowed to work in 5 business industries
- Manufacturing Industry, Construction Industry, Agriculture and Stockbreeding (Farm Products Cultivation, Stockbreeding), Fishing Industry, Service Industry (Refrigerated Warehousing, Restaurants, Business Support Service, Social Welfare, Sewage Disposal, General Repair Services of Motor Vehicles, Nursing, Household Service etc.)
3. Legal Position of Foreign Workers

Foreign workers are covered by the labor-related laws during employment identical to native workers such as Labor Standard Act, Industrial Safety Health Act etc.
- Household service workers are not covered by labor laws, the employer can decide and enforce all the labor conditions including labor time, dismissal, day off, holiday within enforcement regulations of the Civil Law Act.
- Some provisions of relevant regulations do not apply to foreign workers in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries industry.
※ For example: Foreign workers in agriculture, stockbreeding, fisheries industry are not covered by the “Regulations for Additional Wages” (Extension and holiday work) of the Labor Standard Act