2010. 01+02 No.
38
Issue
이슈
Changes in Policies in 2010
1. Regarding minimum wages (Effective 2010.1.1)
☞Effective Period: 2010.1.1～2010.12.31
☞Minimum wages
◦Hourly wage 4,110 won, Overtime pay (4,110X1.5=6,165
won), Night time pay (4,110X0.5=2,055 won)
◦Daily wage (8hrs) 32,880 won,
◦Monthly Wage(Workplace with more than 20 work-
ers/ 40 hr a week basis, 209 hrs a month) 858,990
won,
◦Monthly Wage(Workplace with less than 20 workers
/ 44 hr a week basis, 226 hrs a month) 928,860won,
☞Application : All businesses or workplaces that em-
ploy workers
☞Deduction Application
- Workers on probationary period can be subject to
10% deduction in wages for the first three months
of probation.
- Workers employed in business or workplace that is
under inspection as authorized by the Ministry of
Labor or employed in supervisory positions can be
subject to 20% deduction in wages.
2. Regarding re-employment (Effective 2009. 12.10)
- When foreign workers who have completed their
employment term (3 years) apply for re-employment, the
previous requisite of one month departure from country
is no longer mandatory. Instead, the worker can be re-
employed for another 2 years maximum without having
Information 1 Year-End Tax Settlement Process
정보 1
for Foreigners 외국인 근로자를 위한 연말 정산
The Korea Migrants’ Center held an education session on year-end tax settlement for foreign workers
on January 12th. This education session was conducted by Cho, Se-hee, Deputy Director in Charge of
International Tax Resource Management Division, National Tax Service of Korea. Following is an excerpt of
the session in a Q&A format.
Q : Who does the year-end tax settlement apply to?
A : The year-end tax settlement applies those with
address in Korea. The candidates can be divided
into ‘residents’ with a job that requires them to
reside in Korea for more than a year, or non-
residents’. Although there is a difference in the
deductible amount, every worker who earns a
wage and a salary income can benefit from the
tax settlement.
2010년 변경된 정책
to depart the country just the once (during which time,
changes in workplace can only be allowed twice).
3. Regarding changes in the workplace
(Effective 2009. 12.10)
- Instead of the previous restriction that limited the
number of workplace changes allowed (3 times) for
migrant workers, the change in the policy excludes the
times when the migrant worker can no longer work in the
workplace for reasons that is out of the worker’s control (
Article 24 - Clause 1 – Item 2: In the event the migrant
worker cannot continue to work at the same workplace
for reasons that do not fall under the responsibility of the
worker, such as shutdown of business, bankruptcy, etc)
from the total number of workplace changes.
- Job recruitment period in the event of a workplace change
has been extended from 2 months to 3 months.
- A new condition added on justifiable reason for changing:
‘In the event the working condition of the workplace
is different from the labor contract, in the event the
labor contract cannot be upheld due to reasons such as
violation of work conditions or improper treatment from
the employer.’
4. Regarding term of labor contract
(Effective 2010.4.10)
- From the previous restriction that limited the term of
a work contract to less than 1 year, the change in the
policy allows the term of the labor contract between a
migrant worker and employer to be determined by the
two parties.
Q : What are the special articles only applicable to
foreign workers?
A : Wages of foreign workers can be applied with
one of the following special tax incentives;
- Tax exemption on 30% of total salary income.
Tax-free income = (Salary income – Tax-
exempted income) X 30%
- Multiply 15% to the wage and salary income which
is to be paid as tax. This amount is not included
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 when calculating global income tax for the same
year.
Total income tax = Wage & Salary income
(includes tax-exempted income) X 15%
Q : Documents to be submitted by foreign workers to
receive special tax incentives or tax exemption
A : When foreign worker chooses ‘30% tax-exemption’
– No documents necessary
When foreign worker chooses flat rate of 15%’
– When filling out the year-end tax settlement,
submit an ‘application form for flat rate tax of
foreign employee’ to the employer (withholding
agent).
[FAQ from Foreign workers regarding year-end
tax settlement]
Q : If a foreigner is employed with a language
institute in Korea on a two-year contract , what
is the residency status?
A : Even if the family of the foreigner still resides
in the Philippines, the foreigner is classified as a
resident if he is employed with a job that requires
him to reside in Korea for more than one year.
Q : Is medical expense from a foreign medical institute
tax deductible?
A : Medical expenses incurred in a foreign medical
institute cannot receive tax deduction
Q : Is education expenses of non-resident children
of foreign workers working in Korea tax
deductible?
A : In the case of education expenses of children that
are educated outside Korea, the expenses are tax
deductible provided that the educational institute
and student meet the ‘overseas educational
institute’ and ‘student’ requirements.

► <Tax Matters Consultation Counter for Foreigners Only>

- 3-Way Interpretation Service provided at each district tax offices

District Tax Offices that offer 『Tax Matters Con-

Region Total (45)
sultation Counter for Foreigners Only』 Services

Seoul All tax offices 24

Goyang, Namincheon, Seoincheon, Seongnam, Suwon,

Central Region 10
Siheung, Ansan, Euijeongbu, Incheon, Pyeongtaek

Seodaejon, Cheonan / Mokpo, Seogwangju

Daejoen, Gwangju, Daegu,
Gumi, Seodaegu / Busanjin, Bukbusan, Suyoung, 11
Busan
Ulsan, Changwon

► Language translation available through the ‘3-Way Interpretation Service’

English, Chinese, Japanese, French, Russian, German, Spanish, Vietnamese,

Mongolian, Indonesian, Thai, Bengali, Urdu, Nepali, Khmer, Burmese, Arabic

- Year-end Tax Settlement Period: Prepare all required evidentiary documents by end of January and submit
by end of February.
- For questions regarding year-end tax settlement, please call 1588-0060

2 외국인근로자를 위한 다국어 뉴스레터

 Everyday Legal Concealment of possession of a lethal weapon
is subject to punishment by law.
Matters 1
생활법률 1
Suspect Park (male, 29 yrs old), a Korean-Chinese, al-
ways carried an office supply knife ( with a 5 cm blade)
on his person when one day he was stopped and ques-
tioned by a police officer in front of the ’00 Restaurant’
in Doksan-dong, Geumcheon-gu.
In Korea, those carrying or concealing tools such as
knives, metal bats, etc that can be used to physically
harm and endanger the life of humans, or equipment that
can be used to invade or trespass a house or a building
without justifiable reasons are subject to punishment by
law to prevent crimes such as trespass, theft, burglary,
Information 2 Livestock Animal and Plant Quarantine
Information
정보 2
동축산물 및 식물검역 안내
<Introduction on National Veterinary Research >
The National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service
conducts veterinary quarantine inspections by preventing
the inflow of domestic animals’ contagious diseases
such as food-and-mouth disease, bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE) and avian influenza(AI) to protect
the livestock industry and the health of the nation.
♣ Hand-carry items subject to inspection
- Animals including dogs, cats, pet birds
- Animal products such as deer antlers, bones, dried
blood
- Beef, pork, mutton, chicken, as well as processed meat
including sausages, ham, dried meat, beef boiled down
in soy sauce, cans, boiled meat, etc
- Dairy products including milk, cheese, butter, etc
- Eggs as well as egg-processed products such as egg
whites and egg powder, etc
] Warning
Travelers carrying livestock products or who had visited
livestock farms must fill out the ‘Customs Declaration
Form and receive inspection from the quarantine officer.
Those who fail to declare their belongings will be fined a
maximum 5 million won.
For further information on animal and livestock
quarantine inspection, please call 1588-9060
Information provided by Gimahae International Airport
Office, National Veterinary Research and Quarantine
Service (www.nvrqs.go.kr, 051-971-1925)
MigrantOK
흉기 은닉·소지 행위는 처벌됩니다!
injury, murder, etc.
- According to Article 1 Clause 2 of the Punishment of
Minor Offenses Act, those in violation are subject to a
maximum 200 thousand won fine or detainment.
- Those carrying weapon that is more than 15 cm long
as well as firearms and swords is subject to a maxi-
mum 10 year imprisonment and a maximum 5 mil-
lion won fine according to Article 10 of the Control of
Firearms, Swords, Explosives, etc Act.
Information provided by the Foreign Affairs Division of
Geumchun Police Station
< Agricultural and Plant Quarantine Information>
♣ Items subject to inspection
- All types of plants: Fruits, vegetables, seeds, seedlings,
flowers, walnuts, medicinal herbs, etc
- Bacteria, harmful insects, pet insects, soil, etc
* Fruit plant seedlings are subject to 2 year of quarantine
inspection at a government-controlled facility.
♣ Plants prohibited from import
- Fruits (mango, papaya, etc), fruit of a vegetable,
walnuts, beans, rice plant seeds, sweet potatoes,
potatoes, etc
- Seedlings and bonsai plants of apple trees, grape
vines, etc
- Live bacteria and harmful insects (including pet
insects)
- Soil or plants stuck with oil
For more information regarding plant quarantine,
please call 1588-5117.
Information provided by Gimahae International Airport
Office, National Plant Quarantine
Service (www.npqs.go.kr,
051-971-0480)
3
 Consultation underway
① Please return my passport and
alien registration card!
지금은 상담중

여권, 외국인등록증을 돌려주세요!

Wherever you go in the
world, one must carry a
government-issued identity
card to prove one’s identity.
In particular, one must carry
an internationally authorized
passport when residing overseas. Furthermore, when one
meets a certain requirement (according to the Immigration
Control Act, those residing in Korea for more than 90 days
must apply for a foreigner registration card within 90 days
of entering the country), one must be issued and carry a
foreigner registration card and can be fined a penalty in
the event when one is found not carrying the card.
However, 1) there are many incidents of the employers
confiscating the migrant workers’ passport or alien
registration card. Even when the worker demands their
return, the employers refuse claiming they are safekeeping
them to prevent flight risks. Nevertheless, the employers
must remember that forcibly keeping the passport, alien
registration card and bankbook of the workers without
their consent is a clear violation of the law.
2) Sometimes, the migrant workers fall prey to unexpected
difficulties when the employer applies for a bankbook
using the migrant worker’s passport and alien registration
card to illegally seize the worker’s departure guarantee
insurance or use them in illegal activities (fraud, voice
phishing, illegal currency exchange, creating a mobile
phone issued under a different name).
Therefore, it is a clear violation of the Immigration
Control Act and Employment Standards Act if the
employers confiscate the passport, alien registration
card, bankbook, etc of the migrant worker without his
or her consent, and use them for purposes other than for
employment. In such cases, a report can be filed with
the Immigration Office for the return of the documents.
Employers who commit such illegal acts are subject to
a maximum three years imprisonment or a maximum 20
million won in fines.

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만화컷
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MNTV 다국어뉴스 방영

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Migrant Worker’s Hospital

☎02-863-9966
이주민의료센터 ☎02-863-9966
Yet the memories Forever hanging on to
linger on and my heart memories, you no longer The Migrant Workers’ Hospital offers free medical
remains a fool. live in the present.
care, with health care service that includes out-

Every time you are faced with difficulties you learned a lesson.
Forget about what might or could have been,
take a deep breath and savor - the moment.
Let go of all decisions or plans, evade and do not fight.
- Exerption from ‘Comfortable Uncertainty (Chodron, Pema)’
patient & in-patient program and surgeries. Please
let the word out about the hospital so that migrant
workers with financial difficulties can receive
proper medical attention.

Founded in August 22, 2005 Korea Migrants' Center Office Tel. 02-6900-8231 Edited by E&G Design
(Registration No. Guro La 00081) (152-801) newsletter@migrantok.org Tel. 031-8007-6600
Publisher: KIM Hae-sung 137-1 Garibongdong Gurogu Seoul www.migrantok.org / www.migrant.kr
4