[Unofficial translation provided by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre]

“Over 70% of Korean language teachers in non-regular worker positions despite 'globalisation of Korean’” 10 October 2024

A recent survey reveals that more than 70% of Korean language teachers working in university language institutes, migrant family support centres, and foreign worker support centres are employed in non-regular positions, with over half earning less than 2 million won per month.

… 55.4% of Korean language teachers reported a pre-tax monthly income of less than 2 million won…. When asked if their income was sufficient to sustain their livelihoods, a staggering 95.2% responded negatively. Among them, 53.4% indicated they rely on family income due to the difficulty of making ends meet with their low wages.

…Only 5.5% of respondents reported being able to take annual leave freely.

Choi Soo-geun, head of the Yonsei University Korean Language Institute branch of the university union, stated, “this is the reality of Korean language educators, who are trapped in a gap of labour rights protection, (…) under the façade of the government’s so-called globalisation of Korean…”