The number of students from overseas coming to study in Korea has leapt in recent years.

In 2002, there were just 7,300 taking classes here but seven years later that number has reached 75,000, according to the Korea Immigration Service’s statistics.

One of the great positives to come out of this phenomenon, in addition to people from overseas learning about Korea, local students and the general public have the benefit of experiencing other cultures.

If you are from overseas and you want to study here, you need a visa. To be precise, you need a D-2 (Study Abroad) visa if you are going to enroll in regular courses at a domestic academic research institution or college, or if you want to participate in other specific forms of study.

A D-4 (General Training) visa is given to people who are studying at a university, a national or private institution, or at an elementary, middle or high school.

If you are studying simultaneously at two institutions, you need to get your hands on a D-4-4 (Language Training) visa.

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The Seoul Metropolitan Government, in conjunction with the Seoul Business Agency (SBA), established the ‘Seoul Global Business Support Center’ with the aim of making Seoul an ideal city for foreign businesses. The Seoul Global Business Support Center is offering an integrated one-stop service in order to facilitate foreign investment and attract foreign businesspersons who have interests in starting a business in Seoul.

For foreigners conducting business in Seoul, the Seoul Global Business Support Center will provide a variety of information in English, Chinese and Japanese languages, consulting, and other intensive support services. The Seoul Global Business Support Center will offer these services free of charge to supply comfortable residential conditions in Seoul for the greater ease of business activities by foreigners, and thereby contribute to the settlement of foreigners in Korea.

※  Contact Information for the Seoul Global Business Support Center

1. Director of the Center  Tel: 02-6001-7243  tk277@sbs.seoul.kr
2. Consultations in English  Tel: 02-6001-7242  youngmi@sba.seoul.kr
3. Consultations in Chinese  Tel: 02-6001-7241  barammeri@sba.seoul.kr
4. Consultations in Japanese  Tel: 02-6001-7240  jina0850@sba.seoul.kr

※  Integrated Business Consulting and Support
※  Integrated Living Consulting and Support
※  Education Programs and Seminars
※  Incubation Office Services (Free Lease)

Directions:
Take the escalator up leading from Hall A3 on the first floor of the COEX to the second floor.
The center is located at the east end of the Trade Mart (towards the east gate of COEX) on the 2nd Floor of the COEX.
Business Hours: Mon. ~ Fri. 09:00~18:00

The 2nd Session of SGC Business Start-up School will begin June 10th.

Seoul Global Center Business Team welcomes expats interesting in starting a business in Seoul to the 2^nd session of our Business Start-up School.

Together with a business counseling service, this program will offer expats in Seoul a chance to learn from helpful courses and network with colleagues, to make their business bigger and better. 

The Business Start-up School is a free program run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government

General Information

· Who: Future Entrepreneurs (International Residents in Seoul)

· When: Monday, June 14, 2010 ~ Saturday, July 3, 2010

· Where: Seoul Global Center – Seminar Room (3F, Press Center Bldg.)        

Course & Instructors Description

· Basic course: 19 courses, 33 hours

· Concentrated course: 4 courses, 14 hours

· Instructors: Nationals and International experts in the field of Foreign Direct Investment

                    (KOTRA, Seoul Development Institute, Small and Medium Business-

                     Administration, SBA Business Support Center, Korea Development Institute etc.)

Selection Process

· 40 students will be selected across 4 different business categories (10 for each category)

· Document Reviewing + Interview

  – Candidates with business ideas that have a higher chance of success and show

     other established readiness (interest, knowledge, etc.) will be selected first

  – Successful candidates will demonstrate an established capacity to start a business

    (capital, experience, qualifications)

To apply for the course, please down the application form from the SGC’s website http://global.seoul.go.kr, under the “News” section.  For more information or inquiries, contact ‘Eva’: 02-2075-4139 / letsgoeva@sba.seoul.kr

Kangnam Labor Law Firm is now offering a Legal Assurance Program for foreign employees.  Essentially, the program is a monthly payment to keep a labor lawyer on retainer, should the need ever arise to seek legal counsel against your employer.  Typically, if a situation were to arise between you and your employer, to engage legal counsel would be upwards of 600,000 won with an additional 30% of the final decision if it it in your favor.  Unfortunately at the time when you may need a labor lawyer, it may be the hardest to come up with the retainer, particularly if your labor complaint is unpaid wages.  This program provides a type of insurance for legal services. 

For more information, please visit their website http://k-labor.com/tiki-index.php?page=Labor+Assurance&bl=n&saved_msg=y (English).   The website also contains a wide range of information on Korean labor laws in English.

Kangnam Labor Law Firm also consults free of charge at the Seoul Global Center on Monday Wednesday, and Friday from 2-5pm.  If you have questions about labor laws, you may visit our offices near City Hall Station (line 1 or 2, exit 4) or call 02-2075-4124 between 2-5pm.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government, in conjunction with the Seoul Business Agency, has created the “Seoul Global Business Support Center”, in order to make Seoul an ideal environment for foreign businesses.  The Seoul Global Business Support Center (COEX) is now recruiting entrepreneurs or investors who are interested in starting a business in Seoul for its first program, tentatively titled the “Foreign Business Incubation Service”.  The purpose of the program is to help cultivate and support promising foreign businesses in their beginning stages by providing free office space and specialized business consulting. 

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I. Summary of the case

Company “K” (hereinafter referred to as “the Company”) which runs a golf academy business, operates an indoor golf driving range in Kangnam, Seoul and a golf academy at a golf course in Cheonan. The foreign golf coach (hereinafter referred to as “the Employee”) had satisfactorily completed a two year employment contract from May 1^st, 2007, and both the Employee and the Company renewed the employment contract for two more years, beginning May 1^st, 2009. The Employee worked three days per week at the Kangnam indoor golf driving range and three days per week at the Cheonan golf course.

The Employee and his fiancée started living together in Seoul in July 2009. In August of 2009, the Company ordered the Employee to transfer to a new golf academy at Oak Valley golf resort near Wonju. Instead, the Employee consistently stated that he was willing to work three days in Seoul and three days at Oak Valley as the existing contract stated. However, the Company insisted that he work only at Oak Valley, warning him that if he would not transfer to the workplace at Oak Valley, the Company would terminate the employment contract. In the end, the Company verbally agreed on working conditions in which the Employee would work three days in Seoul and three days at Oak Valley, and the Employee started working according to this agreed-upon working schedule. However, unexpectedly, the Company hired another coach to replace the Employee in the middle of October and suggested to the Employee that he work part-time. When the Employee rejected this, the Company dismissed the Employee, informing him that his employment would conclude the last day of November.

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As Korea is transforming to a multi-cultural nation with a growing number of influx of foreign workers, the population of foreigners is increasing.

Number of foreigners who filed the Year-end Tax Settlement:

• 242 thousand (attributable to the year 2006)
• 282 thousand (attributable to the year 2007)
• 345 thousand (attributable to the year 2008)

As the Korean Tax Law classifies an individual either as a resident or non-resident regardless of his or her nationality, the area of deductions is differentiated based on his or her being a resident.

If a foreigner whose “domicile” is in Korea or whose occupation requires a “place of residence” in Korea of at least one year or more, he/she is deemed a resident of Korea, he/she is qualified for deductions in every applicable area.

Foreign workers who have wage/salary income are subject to the Year-end Tax Settlement (excluding daily workers). That is, they are also to submit the final return of deductions with supporting documents to their withholding agents around the end of January 2010.

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Since 2008, companies in Korea are legally obligated to permit not only maternity leave but also paternity leave.

Maternity Leave in Korea

The entire 90 days is divided into two periods in terms of payment.

The first 60 days are to be calculated at regular wage amount by the employer. The remaining 30 days are covered by the unemployment insurance coverage up to 1.35million won. More than 45 days out of 90days must be taken after giving a birth.

An employee who has paid for the unemployment insurance are entitled to get this grant. The period to apply for the grant is from a month after beginning of maternity leave to 12 months after the end of maternity leave. A confirmation document issued by the employer and an application are required to submit to an employment support center.

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The Seoul Global Center provides a service for free legal consultation on Monday, Wednesday, Friday 2pm-5pm at the SGC offices, located near City Hall station (Line 1 or 2, exit 4) in the Seoul Press Building, 3^rd Floor.

Here is one case study of a situation that was resolved with the help of the SGC’s legal advisor, Mr. Jeong Bongsu from the Gangnam Labor Law Firm. 

I. Summary

According to Korean law, all employees who have served at a company for a year, must be paid severance pay, the total of one month’s salary.  In this case, an International school was renewing employment contracts with foreign teachers for 10 months which does not include the summer vacation paid. When the foreign teachers stopped working at the school, the school did not pay them severance pay. As a result, foreign teachers made a claim for unpaid severance pay on the grounds that they had been providing their labor service continuously for more than a year to the school but the school had not paid them their deserving severance pay.

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I. Labor Standard Act

• 40 working hours per week : This is mandatory for companies that hire 20 employees or more as of July 1, 2008
• Reduction of working hours from 44 to 40
• Adjustment of annual monthly leave:  Before revision: 10 days (one additional leave day to be granted every year).  After revision: 15 days (one additional day to be granted every 2^nd year, but the maximum of this addition will be 25days)
• Monthly leave is abolished.
• Menstruation leave: Changed from paid leave to unpaid leave

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