--- title: "SPECIAL: Labor Attorney Choi Chang-gyun's Guide to Hospitality Employment Law 05" description: "Foreign workers can be a great fit for Korean hotels—but visa missteps trigger immigration penalties and labor law violations. Attorney Choi explains the permits, visa types, and payroll rules you actually need to know." published: 2019-10-30T00:00:00+00:00 author: "ONDA 편집팀" category: "Insights" image: "https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a9e13185c2bb4c384b8c07_632c28ca19c98bda195b7471_Frame_201_20_7_.png" canonical: https://global.onda.me/en/blog?slug=special-coecanggyun-nomusayi-sugbageob-nomu-jeongboghagi-05 locale: en --- # SPECIAL: Labor Attorney Choi Chang-gyun's Guide to Hospitality Employment Law 05 ### **05. Managing Foreign Employees in the Hospitality Industry** **Writer: Choi Chang-gyun, Labor Attorney, Seocho Labor Law Firm** **Editor: ONDA Manager Somora** ![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a8b2692e26aeb25b984836_62e7677ce1a61c637f02c8ad_5e94285a06600f30a7dc67da_screenshot.png) ![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a8b2692e26aeb25b98483d_62e7677ce1a61c980002c8a6_5e94285a9610468fdf7f2c39_screenshot-1.png) #### Seocho Labor Law Firm Seocho Labor Law Firm specializes in hospitality employment law. We currently manage labor affairs for numerous accommodation businesses and provide training for hospitality franchise headquarters (including Yanolja). Our mission: help build workplaces where people thrive. We believe happy workplaces create happy lives. That's why we launched this series — to equip hospitality professionals with the employment law knowledge they need. #### Contact Us **Website:** [www.노무법인서초.com](http://www.노무법인서초.com) **Blog:** [https://blog.naver.com/cpla7582](https://blog.naver.com/cpla7582) **Phone:** 02-6053-5482 **Address:** 5F Platinum Tower, 398 Seocho-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul ![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a8b2692e26aeb25b98483a_62e7677be1a61c7ab202c8a4_5e94285bf70fbbbffb0fc75b_omar-lopez-rgookycscyc-unsplash.jpeg) Photo by Omar Lopez on Unsplash ### **How to Manage Foreign Employees in Hospitality** Hi, I'm Labor Attorney Choi Chang-gyun. When advising hospitality clients, I regularly field questions about hiring and managing foreign workers. Accommodations often provide room and board — which makes them attractive workplaces for foreign employees. Guesthouses and other properties catering to international travelers are especially open to hiring non-Korean staff. But if you hire foreign workers without doing your homework, you risk serious legal trouble under both Immigration Control Law and Labor Standards Act. So in this November issue, I'll walk you through **what to watch out for when managing foreign employees.** ### **1. Check if the Worker Is Legally Eligible** Foreign workers' **visa type** determines whether they can work, and whether special employment permits are required. The first thing you need to verify: Is this person's visa valid for employment? Is it still in date? Do you need to file any notifications? The main visa types that matter in hospitality are listed in **Table 1** below. ![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a8b2692e26aeb25b98482d_62e7677ce1a61c729402c8a5_5e94285af70fbb5ad50fc75a_screenshot-2-3.png) **(Table 1) Key visa types for hospitality employment** Here's the key distinction: **H-2 (Working Visit) visa** holders fall under the Act on Foreign Workers' Employment (administered by the Ministry of Employment and Labor). All other visas fall under Immigration Control Law (administered by the Ministry of Justice). So for non-H-2 visas, you'll work with the Immigration Office. For H-2 visas, you'll work with the Ministry of Employment and Labor. ### **2. Complete the Special Employment Process (H-2 Visa Holders)** If you're hiring someone with an **H-2 visa**, you must complete a **special employment procedure** at your local Employment Center. The steps are shown in **Table 2** below. ![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a8b2692e26aeb25b984830_62e7677ce1a61c55d002c8ae_5e94285bb499e5cd78df2d5f_screenshot-3-2.png) **(Table 2) Special employment process for H-2 visa holders** ### **3. Enroll in Foreign Worker Insurance (H-2 Visa Holders)** When hiring H-2 visa workers, you're required to purchase **foreign worker insurance**. The Act on Foreign Workers' Employment mandates four types: departure guarantee insurance, surety insurance, return cost insurance, and accident insurance. **Employers must purchase departure guarantee insurance and surety insurance.** Failure to do so carries a fine of up to ₩5 million. ### **4. Social Insurance for Foreign Workers (All Work-Eligible Visas)** Foreign workers must be enrolled in **Korea's four major insurance programs** (National Health Insurance, Workers' Compensation, Employment Insurance, National Pension). Health insurance and workers' comp are mandatory for everyone. Employment Insurance depends on **visa status**; National Pension depends on **country of origin**. **Employment Insurance** is mandatory for F-2 (residence), F-5 (permanent residence), and F-6 (marriage migrant) visa holders. **National Pension** is mandatory for workers from Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Kyrgyzstan. --- That's the rundown on **managing foreign workers in hospitality.** Once hired, foreign employees have the same legal status as Korean workers. That means you need a written employment contract, you must pay at least minimum wage, and severance pay applies. This holds true even for undocumented workers. I've seen employers get reported to the Labor Office because they misunderstood this — or get caught by Immigration for employing workers without valid status. Double-check everything to avoid legal trouble. Next installment: **Social insurance management in hospitality.** Thanks for reading. ##### 📖 Series Index [01. Hospitality Labor Dispute Channels](https://corp.onda.me/insight-content/magazine-31-post-2402) [02. Labor Standards Act Coverage in Hospitality](https://corp.onda.me/insight-content/magazine-32-post-2478) [03. Employment Contract Best Practices](https://corp.onda.me/insight-content/magazine-33-post-2533) [04. Managing Employment Rules](https://corp.onda.me/insight-content/magazine-34-post-2642) **05. Managing Foreign Employees** 06. Social Insurance Management 07. Mandatory Legal Training 08. Days Off and Leave Management 09. Working Hours Management 10. Wage Management (1) 11. Wage Management (2) 12. Termination and Retirement Management ![201907_labor_AD_02](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a8b23890bf40ac00d97352_62e7676be67b53a6642f177a_5e8a8a62ec626f9437321b6c_201907_labor_ad_02.jpeg) ## [**Read the Full Magazine <<**](http://bit.ly/magazineon35) ## [**Subscribe to the Magazine <<**](http://bit.ly/magazinesub)