What should I do if my E-9 company closes down or does not pay my salary?

Closure and unpaid wages are not your fault. So you can apply to change workplaces without your employer's consent. A change made this way does not count toward the change limit (3 times in the first employment period, 2 times in the extended period).

Prepare these first

• Pay slips and bank deposit records — prove the unpaid wages
• Employment contract — proves the promised wages and working conditions
• Work attendance records, text messages, photos — show that you actually worked
• Closure or suspension notice (if you have one) — proves the business closed

Follow these steps

1. Report the unpaid wages: File an unpaid wage complaint with the local office of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (고용노동부 지방노동관서). You can use the Labor Portal (labor.moel.go.kr) or the Ministry of Employment and Labor Counseling Center (고용노동부 상담센터, 1350). When you leave a job, the employer must usually pay all remaining wages within 14 days.
2. Apply to change workplaces: Apply at the Employment Center (고용센터) within 1 month of the day your employment contract ended.
3. Workplace change permit: Find a new company within 3 months of the day you applied for the change. Then get a workplace change permit from your local immigration office.
4. Check insurance payments: A closed company may not be able to pay. In that case, you can usually claim wage arrears guarantee insurance or a substitute payment (대지급금, unpaid wages paid first by the state). Ask the labor office about both together.

⚠️ Things to watch out for

• If you miss the 1-month or 3-month deadline, you may have to leave Korea. If you were injured, sick, pregnant, or gave birth, the period is counted from the day that reason ended.
• Working somewhere else before the new company's permit is approved is illegal employment. Start work only after you get the permit.
• If you leave Korea without being paid, it becomes much harder to get your wages. File your complaint first while you are still in Korea.

If you have little time left, or your company did not report the change in employment, get a K-VISA AI administrative agent consultation in the app's visa service. Check the details again with HiKorea (hikorea.go.kr) or 1345.