What it costs and what the law requires to employ someone in South Korea through an EOR, with every figure cited to a primary source.
To employ someone in South Korea, an employer pays ~10.5% at the lowest rates, rising with industry risk: national pension 4.75%, national health insurance including long-term care ~4.07% (from Jan 2026), employment insurance 1.15-1.75% by size and industry, plus employer-only workers' compensation 0.5-18.5% by industry (2026 table)↗ in mandatory contributions on top of gross salary, must give 15 days (after 1 year, 80%+ attendance)↗ of paid annual leave, and 30 days↗ of notice to terminate. An EOR lets you hire here without your own legal entity.
Every figure links to the page that states it. This page's figures were read at their sources between Aug 18, 2026 and Oct 30, 2026, and every cited page is checked again each week (how we verify).
Ranked the way Get matched ranks a hire: employing through its own entity in South Korea, a lower published fee and no deposit, each read from the provider's own pages. A provider whose referral program pays us carries a labeled referral boost, and the few providers we do not work with are listed below, never among these three.
Its own pages also state: equity for employees, laptops and equipment.
Set team size or visa need, and get quotesStill looking for the person? Ask for candidates tooHow referral programs affect ranking
Companies hiring remotely for a role that must be based in South Korea need someone employed there. Without an entity of their own in South Korea, an employer of record is how they do it.
South Korea ranks #38 of 177 countries↗ for full-time remote jobs open only to its residents. Most hired fields: Sales, Developer, Product.
Counted daily from job postings on Himalayas, a remote job board: a job counts for a country when it accepts applicants based only there. Counting began Oct 29, 2026; a job posted before then counts if it was still open that day. Last updated Nov 11, 2026.
The statutory employer contributions that sit on top of gross salary, each cited.
Rates are the statutory employer contributions; the total employer burden in South Korea is ~10.5% at the lowest rates, rising with industry risk: national pension 4.75%, national health insurance including long-term care ~4.07% (from Jan 2026), employment insurance 1.15-1.75% by size and industry, plus employer-only workers' compensation 0.5-18.5% by industry (2026 table)↗. Confirm the current rates for your case before hiring. Compare employer costs in every country. Compare employer pension contributions in every country.
The full cost to employ combines gross salary, the statutory employer burden, and the EOR provider's own service fee.
The total cost to employ someone in South Korea through an EOR is their gross salary, plus ~10.5% at the lowest rates, rising with industry risk: national pension 4.75%, national health insurance including long-term care ~4.07% (from Jan 2026), employment insurance 1.15-1.75% by size and industry, plus employer-only workers' compensation 0.5-18.5% by industry (2026 table)↗ in mandatory employer contributions, plus a per-employee service fee from the provider. Across the 56 of 93 providers that publish a fee, the median is $349/employee/month (from $99 to $740); the rest quote per country.
This illustration applies the representative rate to the full salary. It does not apply contribution caps, local-currency thresholds or employee eligibility rules, so it is not a payroll quote. Actual cost depends on the salary, the provider, and country-specific quotes; some countries also add mandatory items such as 13th-month pay or severance accruals. Run your own numbers in the calculator.
Each provider below names South Korea on its own website as a country where it offers Employer of Record. Cheapest published starting fee first.
36 providers name South Korea on their own websites as a country where they offer EOR. Published starting fees among them run from $99 /mo↗ (Native Teams) to $699 /mo↗ (Oyster HR and Safeguard Global); 9 quote South Korea on request. 5 of them say they employ here through their own entity.
Not sure which one fits? We rank these providers for your team size and visa needs, and get you quotes from the ones you pick.
Get matchedBefore you sign with one of them: the questions worth asking each provider. Already employing someone in South Korea through an employer of record? Check what you pay against these fees.
A listing is the provider's own statement that it can employ in South Korea, read on its site on Nov 9, 2026. Fees are each provider's cheapest published rate, not a quote for South Korea. We read the country lists and country pages of all 93 providers we track; 78 name the countries they serve, and a provider that does not name South Korea on its own site is not shown here, even where it may serve it. Confirm availability for your role and contract type before signing.
The employment terms an employer must meet, each linked to the source that states it.
Paying someone in South Korea as a contractor instead? The law looks at how the work runs, not at what the contract calls it. Check whether the role is employment.
Two ways to put someone on payroll here.
An EOR already has an entity in South Korea and employs your worker on your behalf, handling payroll, tax and the statutory terms above. Fastest way to hire without incorporating.
Compare EOR providersAdd the ~10.5% at the lowest rates, rising with industry risk: national pension 4.75%, national health insurance including long-term care ~4.07% (from Jan 2026), employment insurance 1.15-1.75% by size and industry, plus employer-only workers' compensation 0.5-18.5% by industry (2026 table)↗ employer burden to salary and an EOR service fee to see your true monthly cost to employ in South Korea.
Open the cost calculatorOn top of gross salary, mandatory employer contributions in South Korea run ~10.5% at the lowest rates, rising with industry risk: national pension 4.75%, national health insurance including long-term care ~4.07% (from Jan 2026), employment insurance 1.15-1.75% by size and industry, plus employer-only workers' compensation 0.5-18.5% by industry (2026 table)↗, made up of National Pension 4.75% (monthly income ceiling KRW 6.59 million from July 2026)↗; National Health Insurance (incl long-term care) ~4.07%↗; Employment Insurance 1.15%-1.75%↗; Workers' compensation 0.5%-18.5% (by industry)↗. An employer of record adds its own per-employee service fee on top; across the 56 of 93 providers that publish a fee, the median is $349 per employee per month.
EOR service fees are billed per employee per month, on top of salary and statutory employer contributions in South Korea. The contribution basis is ~10.5% at the lowest rates, rising with industry risk: national pension 4.75%, national health insurance including long-term care ~4.07% (from Jan 2026), employment insurance 1.15-1.75% by size and industry, plus employer-only workers' compensation 0.5-18.5% by industry (2026 table)↗. Providers rarely publish a South Korea-specific fee: across the 56 providers on our price board that publish a price, the median is $349 per employee per month (from $99 to $740), and the rest quote per country. Request a quote for South Korea for an exact figure.
Statutory paid annual leave in South Korea is 15 days (after 1 year, 80%+ attendance)↗.
The minimum employer notice period in South Korea is 30 days↗.
The statutory minimum wage in South Korea is ₩10,320/hour (2026)↗; it rises to ₩10,700/hour (2027)↗ on Jan 1, 2027.
The maximum statutory probation period in South Korea is No statutory maximum; 3 months typical (lower minimum wage allowed in first 3 months)↗.
36 of the 93 providers we track name South Korea on their own websites as a country where they offer Employer of Record. By published starting fee: Native Teams from $99 /mo↗, Asanify from $199 /mo↗, Gloroots from $199 /mo↗, RemoFirst from $199 /mo↗, Skuad (Payoneer) from $199 /mo↗, and 22 more with a published fee; 9 quote South Korea on request. Each provider's listing is its own claim, so confirm availability for your role and contract type before signing.
In the 30↗ days to Nov 11, 2026, 65 companies↗ posted 164↗ full-time remote jobs open only to people based in South Korea on the Himalayas job board, plus 58↗ contract roles, which ranks South Korea #38 of 177 countries↗. The most hired fields are Sales, Developer, Product. A company hiring this way without its own entity in South Korea employs through an employer of record.
No. An employer of record (EOR) already holds a legal entity in South Korea and can employ your worker there on your behalf, running local payroll, tax and compliance, so you can hire without setting up your own entity. That settles the employment side only: what the person does for your company (signing or negotiating its contracts, running a sales team, working from one place for most of the year) can still make your company taxable in South Korea as a permanent establishment, whoever employs them.
Hiring in more than one country? See which providers cover Asia-Pacific.
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