How to file when your wages go unpaid
The day we opened the government source and matched the numbers. This is not a labor attorney's review.
Where do I file
- Online — submit a petition on the Ministry of Employment and Labor labor portal (labor.moel.go.kr).
- In person — go to the customer support office of the local labor office that covers the address of the workplace where you worked.
- By phone — 1350 can guide you through the steps.
What do I prepare
- The labor contract (if you have it)
- Pay slips, bank deposit records
- Records of your working hours — photos, notes, fingerprint records, anything
- The company name and address, and the employer's name
- Your alien registration card
You can file even if your documents are not complete. Do not give up because something is missing.
Substitute payment the state pays first
Not only when the company has gone bankrupt — even while the company is still running, if you meet the requirements you can receive the simplified substitute payment (간이대지급금), which the state pays first. There is a limit and the amount changes. Tell 1350 or the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service 1588-0075 whether the company is bankrupt and whether you still work there or have left, and ask.
Read next
Rules change often, and the same rule applies differently to different people. Check your own case with 1350 (Ministry of Employment and Labor customer center). Its phone counseling in foreign languages is in English and Chinese. For your own language, ask 1345 (Immigration Contact Center).
This is reference material. Rules change often — always confirm with the hotline below before you file anything.
Sources
- MOEL Labor Portal — How to resolve unpaid wages 고용노동부 노동포털 — 체불임금 해결 방법 checked 2026-08-31
- MOEL Notice 2021-30 — Workplace change reasons that are not the worker's fault 고용노동부 고시 제2021-30호 — 외국인근로자의 책임이 아닌 사업장변경 사유 checked 2026-08-31