E9 Employment Contract in Korea (2026): How to Read Your EPS Standard Labor Contract
If you come to Korea on an E-9 (Non-Professional Employment) visa under the Employment Permit System (EPS), the single most important document you will ever sign is your E9 employment contract — officially called the Standard Labor Contract (표준근로계약서). It sets your wage, your hours, your worksite, and how much your employer can deduct for housing and meals. Yet most workers sign it without fully reading it — often in a hurry, sometimes under pressure.
This guide walks you through all 12 clauses of the official EPS contract in plain English, shows you exactly what to check, and flags the clauses where workers most often get cheated.
The EPS Standard Labor Contract is a legally binding government form (the same Form No. 6 for everyone), printed in Korean alongside your own language. Key points: your wage must meet Korea’s 2026 minimum wage of ₩10,320/hour (₩2,156,880/month); overtime, night and holiday work normally add +50% (except workplaces with 4 or fewer regular employees, and most agriculture/fishery work); your employer may not hold your bankbook or seal; and housing/meal deductions are only valid with your separate written consent. You can only work at the worksite named in the contract.
1. What your E9 employment contract is
The Standard Labor Contract is a fixed official form — Form No. 6 under the Enforcement Rules of the Act on the Employment of Foreign Workers. Neither you nor your employer can change its structure; only the blanks (wage, hours, worksite, etc.) get filled in. It is printed in two languages side by side: Korean and your home-country language (Vietnamese, Nepali, Indonesian, Khmer, and others — 16 language editions exist).
There are slightly different editions for different sectors:
- Manufacturing / Construction / Service
- Agriculture / Livestock / Fishery (this version has important differences in working-hour rules — see Clause 4 and 7)
You sign this contract before or upon arrival, and a copy is later required for many official steps — alien registration (ARC), residence extensions, and especially any workplace change. Keep your own signed copy safe. It is your proof of what was agreed.
2. The 12 clauses, explained
| # | Clause (한글) | What it means | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Contract Period 근로계약기간 |
Length of your contract and any probation period (1–3 months). For new or re-entering workers, the period is counted from your entry date. | Confirm the dates and whether probation (수습) is checked. Probation can lower your pay — see Clause 7. |
| 2 | Place of Work 근로장소 |
Your assigned worksite. | You may not be made to work anywhere outside this address. If they move you, it must be formalized. |
| 3 | Job Description 업무내용 |
Industry, business type, and your specific duties. | Make sure the actual job matches. Vague descriptions are a warning sign. |
| 4 | Working Hours 근로시간 |
Start/end time, average daily overtime, and any shift system (2-shift, 3-shift, etc.). | Add up the hours. Agriculture/livestock & fishery are exempt from statutory working-hour limits (see box below). |
| 5 | Break Time 휴게시간 |
Rest minutes per day. | By law, work over 8 hours requires at least a 1-hour break (general rule). |
| 6 | Holidays 휴일 |
Sunday / public holidays (paid or unpaid) / Saturdays. | Note whether holidays are paid (유급) or unpaid (무급). |
| 7 | Wages 임금 |
Monthly ordinary wage, base pay, fixed allowances, bonus, and any reduced probation wage. | Must meet the 2026 minimum wage: ₩10,320/hour (₩2,156,880/month). Overtime/night/holiday work adds +50% (see below). |
| 8 | Pay Date 임금지급일 |
The day you are paid each month (or week). If it falls on a holiday, you’re paid the day before. | You should be paid on a regular, fixed date. |
| 9 | Payment Method 지급방법 |
Direct payment or bank transfer. | Your employer is banned from keeping or managing your bankbook or seal. This is a critical protection. |
| 10 | Accommodation & Meals 숙식제공 |
Whether housing/meals are provided, the housing type, and how much you pay each month. | Deductions need your separate written consent and are capped — see the dedicated section below. |
| 11 | Mutual Obligations | Both sides must honor the contract, work rules, and any collective agreement. | — |
| 12 | Governing Law | Anything not stated follows the Labor Standards Act (근로기준법). | The law fills the gaps — it doesn’t override your minimum protections. |
Under Article 63 of the Labor Standards Act, agriculture, livestock and fishery work is exempt from the rules on working hours, breaks, and holidays. In practice this means the +50% overtime premium and statutory paid holidays generally do not apply to E-9-3 agricultural/fishery jobs. Your contract should still state your hours and rest clearly. If you’re unsure, this is the single most important thing to clarify before signing.
3. Five things to check before you sign
- The wage figure (Clause 7). Confirm the monthly amount and that it meets the 2026 statutory minimum wage: ₩10,320 per hour, or ₩2,156,880 per month for a standard 40-hour week (209 monthly hours). A full-time monthly wage below this is illegal.
- Worksite address (Clause 2). It should be a real, specific address — the place you’ll actually work.
- Housing & meal cost (Clause 10). Is anything being deducted? How much? Is the housing type listed accurately (a container or panel structure is treated differently from an apartment)?
- Paid vs unpaid holidays (Clause 6). A small box checked “무급” (unpaid) changes your real monthly income.
- Bankbook control (Clause 9). If anyone suggests the employer will “keep your bankbook for safety,” that is illegal. Refuse.
₩10,320 per hour — a 2.9% increase from 2025 (₩10,030). For a standard 40-hour week that is about ₩2,156,880 per month (209 monthly hours). The rate applies to nearly all workers regardless of nationality or visa type.
Source: Minimum Wage Commission (최저임금위원회) decision, July 2025; effective 1 January 2026. Confirm the current rate at minimumwage.go.kr.
4. Housing & meal deductions (Clause 10)
Employers can deduct accommodation and meal costs from your wage — but only under conditions:
- It requires a separate signed Deduction Agreement (공제동의서), explained to you and signed of your own free will.
- The deductions must appear as line items on your monthly pay slip.
- For new or re-entering workers, the cost level is decided after you arrive, by agreement — not imposed in advance.
- The deductible amount is capped by Ministry of Employment and Labor guidelines, and the cap depends on the type of housing (e.g., apartment vs. dormitory vs. container/prefab panel).
The exact deduction percentage caps for 2026 are set by an annually updated Ministry of Employment and Labor guideline and vary by housing type. We’re preparing a separate, fully-sourced article on the Deduction Agreement once the current-year figures are confirmed — we won’t quote a specific percentage here until it’s verified.
5. Your built-in protections
- No bankbook/seal control. Your employer cannot hold or manage your bank account or personal seal (Clause 9).
- Overtime premium. Overtime, night, and holiday work add +50% of ordinary wage — except at workplaces with 4 or fewer regular employees, and except agriculture/fishery work (Clause 7).
- Worksite limit. You can only be made to work at the address in Clause 2.
- Written pay slips. Deductions must be itemized and given to you each month.
- The Labor Standards Act applies to anything the contract doesn’t cover (Clause 12).
6. If your real job differs from the contract
A contract that doesn’t match reality — a different worksite, unpaid “extra” hours, deductions you never agreed to, or someone holding your bankbook — is exactly the kind of situation that can become wage theft or an unlawful assignment. Keep your signed copy and your pay slips. These documents are your evidence if you later need to change workplaces or file a complaint.
You can call the 1350 labor hotline (Ministry of Employment and Labor) or contact a Foreign Workers’ Support Center. Keep records of everything in writing.
7. FAQ
Q. Can I negotiate the contract terms?
The form is fixed, but the blanks (wage above the minimum, housing arrangement, etc.) are agreed between you and the employer. For new/re-entry workers, housing and meal cost levels are settled after arrival.
Q. Is the contract valid if it’s only in Korean?
The official EPS form is bilingual — Korean plus your language. Make sure you receive and can read your-language version, and that both columns say the same thing.
Q. My employer wants to keep my bankbook “for safekeeping.” Is that allowed?
No. Clause 9 explicitly prohibits the employer from managing your bankbook or seal. This is a common abuse — say no.
Q. Can they pay me less during probation?
A probation wage may be set, but it cannot fall below the legal floor, and for simple-labor jobs a probation reduction is not allowed. Check Clause 1 and 7 carefully and ask if probation is checked.