일하다 다쳤을 때: 산재보험 적용, 사고 직후 할 일, 요양급여 신청과 휴업급여, E-9 근로자 유의점

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Injured at work: industrial accident insurance coverage, what to do right after an accident, applying for medical care benefits and sick pay, and notes for E-9 workers

Last checked: 20 October 2026 · compared against 5 official sources opened that day

Getting hurt or falling ill because of your job brings worries about both treatment and income. Korea's industrial accident compensation insurance pays for treatment and part of the income you lose, and it covers foreign workers too. We checked the current Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act Rules, the Labor Standards Act, the Act on the Employment of Foreign Workers and the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (COMWEL) procedure page on 20 October 2026. COMWEL decides each case, so call 1588-0075 before you apply.

Who is covered

Article 6 applies the Act to every business that employs workers, apart from some businesses excluded by decree, and the coverage rule has no nationality condition, so E-9 and H-2 workers are covered while they work as employees. If your employer never enrolled, ask COMWEL whether you can still claim; COMWEL also runs a channel for reporting uninsured workplaces.

What counts as a work-related injury

Article 37 covers accidents at work, illnesses caused by work, and commuting accidents, either on employer-provided transport or on your usual route and method. Accidents during or after a detour or stop are generally excluded unless the detour was for a necessity of daily life set by decree. The link between work and the injury must be shown, so record how it happened.

Right after an accident

Get treatment first, calling 119 if needed, and tell the hospital you were hurt at work. Report the accident to your manager and note when and to whom. Photograph the place, machine and injury, keep colleagues' contacts, rosters and messages, and keep medical certificates and receipts. If the employer offers to pay for treatment privately instead of a claim, take advice first, because no insurance claim means the COMWEL benefit process is never started.

Applying for medical care benefits

Apply to COMWEL with documents showing your workplace, how the accident happened and a medical opinion (Article 41(1)). A designated industrial accident hospital that treats you can file on your behalf, with your consent, if it judges the injury work-related (Article 41(2)). Treatment is given at designated hospitals, and no medical care benefit is paid if you can recover within three days (Article 40). Covered care includes examinations, medicines, procedures and surgery, rehabilitation, inpatient care, nursing and transport.

Benefits you can receive

Article 36 lists medical care, temporary disability (sick pay), disability, nursing, survivors' benefits, an injury and disease pension, funeral costs and vocational rehabilitation, all paid on claim. Sick pay is 70% of your average wage per day off work, and nothing is paid if you are off for three days or less (Article 52). Because it is based on your average wage, keep payslips and bank records. We did not check the yearly maximum and minimum amounts.

Your employer's duties

Under Article 73 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act Rules, the employer must send an industrial accident report to the local labour office within one month of a death or of an injury or illness needing three or more days off, confirmed by the workers' representative or, if there is none, by you. Article 116 of the compensation Act requires the employer to help you claim and to certify facts you need. Article 23(2) of the Labor Standards Act bars dismissal during treatment for a work injury and for 30 days after.

How COMWEL decides

COMWEL's procedure page says accidents go through a basic investigation of how the accident happened, the employment relationship, the injury, average wage and any third party, followed by medical advice. Commuting cases add route and traffic checks, and illnesses go to an occupational disease committee. COMWEL also publishes an English guide to the insurance (Guide to WCI Service).

Appeals and time limits

You can request a review within 90 days of learning of a decision, through the COMWEL office that made it (Article 103). The right to benefits lapses after three years, or five years for disability, survivors' and funeral benefits (Article 112). If you are going home, check the status of your claim and leave contact details with COMWEL.

Notes for E-9 workers

E-9 workers normally must apply for a workplace change within one month of a contract ending and obtain a permit within three months of applying, or leave Korea. Article 25(3) of the Act on the Employment of Foreign Workers says these periods run from the day the obstacle ends when a work injury, illness, pregnancy or childbirth prevents you from applying or obtaining the permit. Tell the job centre and keep the paperwork. The separate personal accident insurance that some foreign workers must hold under Article 23 is not the same as industrial accident insurance.

Contacts and what to bring

COMWEL 1588-0075 for claims and benefits; the Ministry of Employment and Labor 1350 if your employer blocks a claim or threatens dismissal. Bring your residence card, employment contract, payslips and bank records, accident photos and witness contacts, and medical certificates and receipts.