Big Firm Experience & Connections with Boutique Firm Efficiency & Street Smarts
Proactive advice from employment lawyers is essential for business success in Korea; nuanced, proactive advice is not easy to obtain for foreign companies and executives working and doing business in Korea.
IPG Legal’s Korean Labor & Employment Law Team advises companies, executives, and employees on workplace compliance, employment disputes, and negotiated departures. Our work combines the experience of Korean and international lawyers, former judges, and business advisers with a practical understanding of how companies operate. Learn more about our employment practice.
IPG Legal’s Korean Labor & Employment Law Team
Sean Hayes is a New York attorney with more than two decades of experience working on matters in Korea and other international markets. He served as a Research Officer at Korea’s Constitutional Court, becoming the first non-Korean employed by the Korean court system. His teaching career included positions at Kookmin University College of Law and Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Public Administration. His background also includes business ownership and investment, which informs his approach to commercial and employment matters.
Judge Haenam Jung is an IPG Legal Senior Partner whose practice includes substantial labor disputes. A retired senior judge and former Secretary-General of the Constitutional Court of Korea, he brings extensive judicial experience to contested matters. His career included service at the Seoul High Court and as Chief Judge at Suwon District Court.
Thomas “Tom” Coyner is a Senior Business Advisor who helps build HR systems. His career includes personnel and human resources roles with Chase Manhattan Bank in Korea and Hitachi Consumer Products of America. He contributes the perspective of a manager who has worked with workplace policies, labor relations, and the demands of running a business in Asia.
IPG Legal’s wider professional network includes lawyers with backgrounds at major international firms, former corporate counsel, and professionals who have served in Korean public institutions, including senior judges.
For assistance with an employment dispute, an executive separation, or HR compliance in Korea, contact IPG Legal or schedule an initial consultation.
Representative Employment Work at IPG Legal
Our employment practice experience includes:
- Preparing employment contracts, handbooks, workplace rules, pension arrangements, and compliance systems for a NASDAQ-listed company’s Korean subsidiary.
- Advising on a manufacturer’s workforce reduction in Korea.
- Representing foreign employees challenging dismissals by Korean conglomerates.
- Resolving an international oil and gas executive’s dismissal dispute through arbitration.
- Restructuring an international retailer’s HR system.
- Representing employers and employees before labor authorities and Korean courts, and assisting with disciplinary proceedings, grievances, and performance improvement programs.
Korean Labor & Employment Law: Complete Article Directory
The following directory contains all 156 posts listed in The Korean Law Blog’s Korean Employment Law archive as reviewed on October 19, 2026, organized by the publication year displayed in the archive.
Older articles should be read in their historical context. Publication dates matter when assessing a discussion of an earlier judgment, legislative proposal, or employment practice.
2026
- The History of The Korean Law Blog by IPG Legal
- Terminating an Employee in South Korea: Strategies for a Defensible Dismissal
- Dealing With Korean Unions: 14 Do’s and Don’ts
- Relocating a Worker Following Stalking Allegations in Korea
- Korean Labor Standards Act Amendments: Break Times and Hourly Annual Leave
- Dealing With Korean Employees and Suppliers — Tom Coyner
- Bonuses, Average Wages, and Korean Severance Calculations
- Korean Supreme Court Clarifies Trade Secret Crimes
- Revising Employment Rules Without Employee Agreement in Korea
- SK Hynix’s Employee Noncompete Injunction Rejected by Seoul Court
2025
- Employment Security and Contract Renewal for Temporary Workers in Korea
- Korean Law Expert Opinions for Foreign Courts and Law Firms
- Best Practices for Disciplining and Terminating Employees in Korea
- Hiring Korean Independent Contractors
- Bonuses for Non-Striking Workers: Unfair Labor Practice and Union Interference Issues
- Probationary Employment and Unfair Dismissal in Korea
- Coupang Fulfillment Services: Unfair Dismissal and Union Suppression Ruling
- CEO Criminal Liability Under Korea’s Workplace Safety Laws
- Korean Labor Relations — Tom Coyner
- Key Provisions for Korean Employment Rules
- Employment Rules for Korean Companies With 10 or More Employees
- Using Accountants to Establish Urgent Managerial Need for Korean Layoffs
- COVID-19 Vaccination Injury and Korean Workers’ Compensation
- Samsung C&T’s Collective Bargaining Obligations to the Korean Metal Workers’ Union
- HR and Labor Policy Under President Lee Jae-myung’s Administration
- Korea’s Yellow Envelope Act: Legal and Policy Considerations
- When a Legal Executive Is Not a Worker Under Korean Labor Law
- Risks of Changing Korean Employment Rules Without Employee Consent
- Challenging Removal or Suspension From U.S. Government Service in Korea
- Termination and Non-Reappointment in the Korean Civil Service
- Broad Recognition of Employee Status Under Korean Labor Law
- Korean Court Injunction Against NewJeans
- Subcontracting and Illegal Worker Dispatch in Korea
2024
- Samsung Worker’s Toxic Exposure and Korean Workers’ Compensation
- Workplace Safety Liability of Contractors and Project Owners in Korea
- Treatment of Part-Time Employees Under Korean Labor Law
- Survivor Benefits Following a Korean Daily Worker’s Death
- Must a Korean Dismissal Notice Be in Writing?
- Dismissal for Taking Company Property: Korean Court Finds Unfair Dismissal
- IPG Legal Prevails in Expat Executive’s Korean Unfair Dismissal Case
- Foreign Executives, Fixed-Term Contracts, and Unfair Dismissal in Korea
- Managerial Employees and Korea’s 52-Hour Workweek: Supreme Court Guidance
- Paying Korean Severance in Installments
- Calculating Overtime Under Korea’s 52-Hour Workweek Limit
- Criminal Liability for Failing to Pay Korean Statutory Severance
- Layoffs, Corporate Downsizing, and Redundancy Under Korean Law
2023
- Independent Contractor Risks Under the Korean Labor Standards Act
- Top 100 Korean Lawyers and Legal Consultants
- Exercising Korean Stock Options Under the Commercial Code
- Limitation Periods for Unpaid Wages in Illegal Worker Dispatch Cases
- Amendments to Korea’s Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Law
- Workplace Safety and Korea’s Serious Accidents Punishment Act
- Korean Pension Contributions and Tax Deductions for Freelancers and Expats
- Bringing Employment Claims Without a Korean Employment Contract
- Must a Foreign Employer Pay Korean Severance?
- Are Non-Registered Company Directors Employees Under Korean Labor Law?
- Noncompete Clauses in Korean Employment and Business Sale Agreements
- Filing a Petition With Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labor
- Korea’s 2023 Minimum Wage
2022
- Who Qualifies as an Employee Under Korean Law?
- Defining Ordinary Wages Under Korean Employment Law
- Employee Dismissals: Korean Supreme Court Precedent
- Wrongful Termination in South Korea
- Independent Contractor Risks: IPG Legal’s AMCHAM Korea Presentation
- Korean Law Firms for English-Speaking Clients: 10 Magazine’s Selection
2021
- Korean Labor Law Checklist for Employers and Employees
- Preparing Independent Contractor Expenses for Audit
- Ten Commandments of Labor Relations in South Korea
- Korea’s Economic Crossroads and Labor Relations — Tom Coyner
- Alternative Legal Fees and Limited Scope Representation in Korea
- Filing a Merit Systems Protection Board Complaint From Korea
- Visa Expiration Updates for Foreigners in Korea
- South Korea’s Minimum Wage Increase for 2021
- Severance Pay in South Korea: Employment Law Basics
2020
- Calculating Hourly Pay Under Korea’s Minimum Wage Act
- EEOC Complaints at U.S. Military Installations in Korea
- Employment Support for Soldiers Disabled in the Line of Duty in Korea
- Korean Workplace Discrimination Laws
- Unpaid Suspensions During the Coronavirus Downturn in Korea
- Limitation Periods for Civil Claims in Korea
2019
- 52-Hour Workweek Delayed for Small and Medium Enterprises in Korea
- Korea’s Minimum Wage Increase for 2020
- Korea’s 2019 Amendments to the Act on Employment of Foreign Workers
- Terminating an Employee in Korea: Employment Law Basics
- English-Speaking Labor and Employment Lawyers in Korea
- Korea’s National Training Database for Overseas Medical Service Workers
- 2019 Amendment to Korea’s Occupational Safety and Health Act
- Sean Hayes at the Korea Business Forum
- Probationary Periods for New Hires Under Korean Employment Contracts
2018
- Dispatched Workers and Employee Status Under Korea’s Labor Standards Act
- Business Transfers and Employee Rights Under Korean Labor Law
- Choice of Law in Korean Employment Disputes
- Employment Background Checks in Korea and China
- Seven Musts for Succeeding in Business in Korea
- Korea’s Occupational Safety and Health Act: 2018 Amendments
- Drafting Restrictive Covenants in Korean Employment Agreements
- Company Liability for Employee Actions Off Premises and After Work Hours
- Infertility, Subfertility, and Childcare Leave Under Korean Law
- Non-Compete Covenants in Korean Employment Contracts
- Employer Lockouts in Korea: Labor and Employment Law Basics
- IPG’s Korean Employment and Labor Law Chapter in Global Legal Insights 2018
- Annual Paid Leave for Part-Time Workers Under Korea’s Labor Standards Act
- EEOC Representation in Korea for U.S. Military Employees
- Merit Systems Protection Board Appeal Lawyers in Korea
- Korea’s Labor Market Under the Moon Administration
2017
- Korea’s Employment Ministry Withdraws Employment Rules and Fair Personnel Management Guidelines
- Statutory Severance Obligations After a Company Acquisition in Korea
- Hiring English-Speaking Labor Lawyers in Korea
- Increased Employer Scrutiny in Korea: HR Audits Under the Moon Administration
- English-Speaking Korean and International Lawyers Discuss Korean Law
- Termination After Childcare Leave Under Korean Employment Law
- Korean Employment and Labor Law Amendments Under the Moon Administration
2015
- Restructuring Korean Small and Medium Enterprises: Potential Business Opportunities
- Enforcing Non-Compete Covenants in Korean Employment Agreements
- Voluntary Employee Resignation in Korea: Employment Law Updates
- Transfer to a Lower Position: Seoul High Court Ruling on Wrongful Termination
- Must Employers Provide Paternity Leave to Male Employees in Korea?
- Non-Compete Clauses in Employment Agreements in Korea
2014
- Is Cause Required for Termination During Probation in Korea?
- IPG’s Korean Labor and Employment Practice: Proactive, Efficient, and Unconflicted
- Hiring and Terminating Employees and Contractors in Korea
- Korea’s Shift From Seniority-Based to Merit-Based Promotions
- Ordinary Wages and Good Faith in Korean Collective Bargaining Agreements
- Ordinary Wages in Korea: The Supreme Court’s “Regular, Uniform, and Flat” Definition
- Korea’s Data Privacy and Data Protection Law (2014)
2013
- Severance Payments and Korea’s Competitiveness: Commentary by Tom Coyner
- Intern Status Under Korea’s Labor Standards Act: Severance and Minimum Wage Questions
- Samsung Union-Busting Investigation by Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labor
- Employee Inventions Under the Korean Invention Promotion Act
- GM Plans Korean Production Cuts Amid Union Disputes and Rising Labor Costs
- Hyundai Motors Faces a Potential 45,000-Employee Strike in Korea
- Korea’s Minimum Wage Increases to KRW 5,210
- Korean Union Violence: The Case for Jail Sentences
- Korea’s Data Privacy and Data Protection Law (2013)
- Inside Korea’s Two-Tiered Economy: Commentary by Tom Coyner
- Why Employee Titles Still Matter in Korea
- Will Korea Legalize Private Detectives, Tattoo Artists, and Chiropractors?
- Hiring Employees in Korea: Advice From IPG Legal’s HR Advisor
- IBA Employment and Discrimination Law Conference in Amsterdam
- Contractual and Statutory Holidays in Korea: Paid Leave Explained
2012
- One Korean City Among Asia’s Top Ten for FDI in 2012
- GM Korea’s Successful Union Negotiations
- U.S. Taxation of American Citizens and Permanent Residents Living Abroad
- Recovering Fraudulently Obtained Employer Subsidies in Korea
2011
- Sean Hayes on Korean Labor Law Risks for the British Chamber
- Hiring Subsidies for Foreign-Invested Companies Employing New Workers in Seoul
- The SC First Bank Strike and Korean Union Strategy
- Hanjin Korea Strike: Why Reports of an End May Be Premature
- Employee Status and Obligations Under Korea’s Labor Standards Act: AMCHAM Presentation by Retired Judge Cheong and Sean Hayes
- Korea’s Multiple Labor Union Law: Implementation in July 2011
2010
- Employment Rules for Companies With Ten or More Workers in Korea
- Survey on Korean Labor Law Violations
2009
2008
- Operational Emergency Dismissals Ruled Invalid Under Korea’s Labor Standards Act
- American Law Firms and Korea’s Legal Market: A 2008 Perspective
2007
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