EPS-TOPIK 개요와 고용허가제 절차: 시험부터 사업장 배치까지

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EPS-TOPIK and the Employment Permit System: from the test to your first workplace

Last checked: 20 October 2026 · compared against 7 official sources opened that day

The Employment Permit System (EPS) lets Korean companies that cannot find local staff hire foreign workers legally, with the government matching both sides. Most people who want to work in Korea on the non-professional employment visa (E-9) start with the EPS-TOPIK, the Korean test for the system. We rechecked the test page of HRD Korea, which runs the test, and the procedure pages of the EPS portal on 20 October 2026.

What the test measures

HRD Korea says the test assesses job seekers' Korean and their understanding of Korean society so that the job-seeker roster can be built on an objective basis. It covers basic everyday communication, the Korean needed at a workplace, and Korean company culture. Unlike general TOPIK, the focus is whether you can understand and follow instructions at work.

Format: 40 items, 50 minutes, 100 points

Reading has 20 items worth 50 points in 25 minutes, covering vocabulary and grammar, practical information and reading comprehension. Listening has 20 items worth 50 points in 25 minutes, covering sounds and spelling, visual material, and dialogues or stories. Be careful with old numbers: many websites, and some pages of the EPS portal itself, still say 50 items, 200 points and a pass at 80. HRD Korea, which administers the test, currently states 40 items, 100 points and 50 minutes. When sources disagree, follow the test administrator.

Who can apply

You must be 18 to 39 years old, have no criminal record of imprisonment without labour (금고) or heavier, never have been deported or ordered to leave Korea, have no travel restriction, and have stayed in Korea for less than five years in total on E-9 and E-10 visas combined. If you worked in Korea before, check your past stay against your entry and exit records. Registration dates and places differ by country, so follow your sending agency and the test notices on the EPS-TOPIK site.

Passing is a ranking, not a fixed cut-off

The test is graded relatively. Among candidates who reach the minimum for their sector, HRD Korea selects as many as the planned intake in order of score. The minimums are 60 out of 100 for manufacturing, 45 for other sectors and 30 (pass or fail) for the fishing special track. Reaching the minimum does not guarantee a place, so aim as high as you can. According to the EPS portal, a pass remains valid for two years from the announcement.

After you pass: from the roster to your workplace

Successful candidates who pass a health check submit a job application in their home country and are entered on the job-seeker roster, which HRD Korea checks and manages. An employer is shown three candidates for every place and chooses one, then receives a work permit. Your working conditions are written into a standard labour contract, which reaches you through HRD Korea and your sending agency; the contract is concluded once you confirm it. The employer then obtains a visa issuance certificate from the immigration office, and you receive an E-9 visa from the Korean embassy. You attend one to two and a half weeks of pre-departure training, and after arrival at least 16 hours (three days and two nights) of employment training. Finally the employer collects you and you start work.

What to check in the contract

Before you confirm, check the wage, working hours, days off, and whether housing and meals are provided and how much may be deducted for them. The EPS portal says a probation period may last up to three months and counts as service; during it the hourly minimum wage may be reduced by 10% as the Minimum Wage Act allows. Lowering conditions after probation breaks the Labor Standards Act. The portal also recommends one-year contracts, because shorter ones combined with the limit of three workplace changes can push workers into illegal status.

Can you change workplaces?

The rule is that you stay at your first workplace. Exceptions exist when normal employment cannot continue, for example a business closure or unpaid wages. If you are not paid or are made to do work outside your contract, talk to a job centre or call the Ministry of Employment and Labor on 1350 before you decide anything, and keep your payslips and attendance records.

Your first weeks in Korea

Once you are placed, several registrations follow. Under the Immigration Act you must register as a foreign resident within 90 days of entry if you stay longer than 90 days; note the expiry date on your residence card. Registered foreigners working at a covered workplace join workplace health insurance, so look for health and long-term care deductions on your first payslip. For workers under the Act on Foreign Workers, the Employment Insurance Act applies the unemployment and parental benefit chapters only after an application, so ask your employer or a job centre whether you have been enrolled for them. Your employer must give you a payslip showing pay items, calculations and deductions every payday. Our first-month checklist and payslip guide go into detail.

How to prepare

Study the official NEW standard textbook (2024 edition): volume 1 on daily life and volume 2 on working life, with audio, free on the HRD Korea site under KOGL type 3. Learn workplace safety signs by colour and shape and common work instructions, since they appear in both sections. Practise catching numbers such as times, prices and phone numbers. Always time your mock tests, because 25 minutes per section goes fast.