What are the 4 major insurance deductions (4대보험) on my Korean paycheck?

The 4대보험, the four major insurances, are Korea's mandatory social insurances taken from your pay, and as an employee you split most of them roughly half and half with your employer. National Pension (국민연금) is the retirement pension, a total of 9 percent of salary with you paying about half, roughly 4.5 percent, and if you are from an eligible country you can later claim this back as a lump sum when you leave Korea. National Health Insurance (건강보험) covers medical care and hospital visits at a heavily subsidized rate, currently around 7 percent of salary in total with you paying about half, and a small long-term care insurance (장기요양보험) is added on top of the health premium for elderly care services.

Employment Insurance (고용보험) funds unemployment benefits and job programs, and your share is small, roughly 0.9 percent. The fourth, Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance (산재보험), covers work injuries and is paid entirely by your employer, so nothing comes out of your pay for it. Altogether your deductions usually land somewhere around 9 to 9.5 percent of gross salary before income tax, though the exact rates are adjusted slightly each year and pension and health have upper income ceilings, so your payslip can vary. As a foreign worker you are generally enrolled just like Korean employees, and the health insurance in particular is a great deal given how low out-of-pocket medical costs are here.