Social Security System

National Pension

• Support is provided to those who reach an old age, developed a disability, or passes away in Korea
• An employee will become a workplace-based insurance subscriber, whereas a business owner will become an individual insurance subscriber, and the subscription is available through the National Pension Service
• A subscriber who wishes to receive the amount he/she has paid as premiums when he/she returns to his home country should pay a visit to the National Pension Service with the required documents

Required documents

• Passport and alien registration card
• Flight ticket with a departure schedule set within one month from the date of request
• Account details to which the refund will be wired

ConfirmLump-sum refunds will be available only to foreign nationals with a citizenship of the country that has signed an agreement with Korea on lump-sum refunds, so please contact ☎1355 in advance to determine your eligibility.

Health insurance

An employee who takes up an occupation will be automatically subscribed to the health insurance through his/her workplace, whereas a non-employee individual will need to file a subscription application as an individual subscriber at the National Health Insurance Service.

• Those who are employed subscribe to the workplace health insurance
• If a spouse who is employed is subscribed to the health insurance, subscribe to the health insurance as a dependent of the spouse

ConfirmIf neither the spouse with Korean citizenship and the foreign national are employed

Subscribe to the individual health insurance

• Inquiries : National Health Insurance Service ☎ 1577-1000
• Information on calls for inquiries of foreign nationals at the National Health Insurance Service
  English ☎ 02-390-2000 Other languages ☎ 1644-0644+extension for each language

Employment insurance

• Jointly paid by the employer and employee against unemployment
• For 18 months before resignation or retirement from a workplace subject to the employment insurance
• If an applicant has been employed for 180 days or longer as the qualifying days in covered employment (the day upon which the wage payment is based), an applicant has left his/her work regardless of his/her intention, or an applicant makes an active effort to find a job while being unemployed, he/she will be able to receive unemployment benefits.
  Ministry of Employment and Labor (☎1350)

Industrial accident compensation insurance

• A worker who suffers from an accident during the course of his/her employment may receive compensation
• An application for the compensation for industrial accident is, in general, filed by the company. If not, pay a visit to the Korea Workers’ Compensation & Welfare Service (☎1588-0075) to receive assistance.