2025 Rules of Employment in Korea: Why HR Should Prepare Now
    • Date2025/04/17 09:47
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    Plan ahead for 2025 labor law updates in Korea. Learn how to revise your Rules of Employment, update contracts, and stay compliant as a foreign company.

    Many companies have recently contacted us with questions about updating their Rules of Employment (ROE) in preparation for upcoming legal changes in 2025.
    In particular, several amendments related to maternity protection will take effect, prompting most employers to review and revise their current policies.
    If you are interested in consulting support, please contact us by phone or email. We will provide a detailed proposal upon request.
     
    1. Legal Obligation to Prepare and File the Rules of Employment
    According to Article 93 of the Korean Labor Standards Act, employers with ten or more regular employees must prepare and submit their Rules of Employment to the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL).
    If an employer fails to report the ROE and does not comply with a correction order issued by the MOEL, a fine of up to KRW 5 million may be imposed.
    Article 93 (Preparation and Reporting of the Rules of Employment)
    An employer with 10 or more regular employees must prepare the Rules of Employment covering specific matters and report them to the Minister of Employment and Labor. The same applies when the ROE is amended.

    2. Why You Need Expert Support for Drafting or Amending the ROE
    When creating or revising the Rules of Employment, working with a certified labor attorney is strongly recommended to ensure:
    • Compliance with statutory content and procedures
    • Legal protection of management and HR rights
    • Consistency with employment contracts, disciplinary rules, and benefits policies
    • Reflection of current HR and legal trends
    In 2024, many companies did not revise their ROE due to a lack of major legislative updates.
    However, in 2025, revisions will be necessary due to the newly amended labor laws, particularly those concerning maternity protection. This is also a good opportunity to review and improve existing clauses.
     
    3. ROE Consulting Process
    Our standard consulting process for reviewing and updating the ROE is as follows:
    Client: Shares current employment contracts, ROE, and other internal HR policies with SAERO
    SAERO: Drafts the new ROE based on existing documents and legal requirements
    Client: Reviews the first draft and provides comments
    SAERO: Revises and resubmits the draft
    Client & SAERO: Repeat the review and revision cycle until the final version is confirmed
    SAERO: Prepares employee briefing materials to support the consent or feedback process
    Client: Holds employee briefing session and collects necessary feedback or consent
    SAERO: Submits the final ROE to the Ministry of Employment and Labor
     
    4. Updating Employment Contracts
    Many companies already use standard employment contract templates.
    If those templates are inconsistent with the updated ROE, we recommend updating them accordingly after the ROE is finalized or filed.
     
    5. Need an English Version of the ROE?
    If your company needs an English version of the Rules of Employment, we offer two options:
    • Prepare the Korean version first, then provide the English translation
    • Or prepare the English version first, then provide the Korean version
    Since feedback is often exchanged on each provision before the content is finalized, multinational companies tend to begin with the English version when the process is led by the overseas HR team rather than the local Korean HR manager.
     
    For a detailed proposal for ROE consulting, or to inquire about other services we provide, please email us at saero@saerolabor.com to request our firm profile or schedule a brief introductory call.​