How do foreign employees usually request an English copy of their employment contract?
I signed a contract written only in Korean when I joined a company in Seoul, and I used a translation app to read it at the time. Now I want a version I can keep and understand properly. Is it common for Korean companies to provide a bilingual or translated copy, and how should I ask HR without seeming distrustful?
Note: This is an editorial persona question created from common experiences of foreign residents in Korea.
1 Answer
It is a common request and not one that reads as distrust. Companies that hire foreign staff regularly often already keep a bilingual template, and the ones that do not will usually produce a translation if asked. Where they do provide one, it is often marked as a reference translation with the Korean version being the binding one, which is normal and fine.
Frame the request around your own obligations rather than around checking the company. An email to HR saying you would like a copy of your contract for your records, and asking whether an English or bilingual version is available, is enough. Separately from any translation, you are entitled to a copy of the contract itself, since employers are required to give employees one, so if you never received the signed document ask for that PDF at the same time.
If only a Korean version exists, get the file and have it translated properly rather than relying on an app for something this important. Local foreign resident support centres and family centres offer document translation help, and 1345 can point you to what is available in your area. A carefully translated contract is worth the effort once.
When you read it, the clauses worth understanding closely are the working hours and whether a fixed overtime allowance is built into your salary and for how many hours, the probation terms, how annual leave is calculated, the notice period if you resign, anything about confidentiality or working for competitors afterwards, and any clause suggesting you owe the company money if you leave early. That last type is often unenforceable under Korean labour law, but you should know whether it is in there. Keep the Korean original alongside the translation, because that is the version that governs.