Fee-Charging Job Placement Business Registration — 10㎡ Office, Representative Qualifications, 10,000,000 won Guarantee Insurance

Procedure

1. 1. Check domestic vs. overseas and grounds for disqualification

   Based on where the worker intends to work, a domestic business registers with the mayor, county head or district head having jurisdiction over the main office, and an overseas business registers with the Minister of Employment and Labor. A person cannot register if 2 years have not passed since completing a prison sentence of imprisonment without labor or heavier, or if 5 years have not passed since a previous registration was revoked. The business cannot be run concurrently with businesses specified by law, such as marriage brokerage or lodging.

2. 2. Check the qualifications of the representative and officers

   An individual must hold one of the qualifications set by the Enforcement Decree, such as Vocational Counselor Grade 1 or 2, at least 2 years of service as a national or local public official, a social worker certificate, or at least 2 years of experience in job counseling work. A corporation must be a commercial company or cooperative (excluding social cooperatives) established for the purpose of job placement, with paid-in capital of at least 50,000,000 won and at least two qualified officers. Each additional office adds 20,000,000 won to the capital requirement.

3. 3. Secure an office and a job counselor

   Prepare an office with an exclusive floor area of at least 10 square meters. Each office must employ at least 1 qualified job counselor, but if the representative holds the job counselor qualification and works full-time at that office, a separate hire is not required. Staff who are not job counselors may not handle job placement work.

4. 4. Prepare and submit the registration application

   Attach proof of the representative's qualification, proof of the job counselor's qualification and the staff register to the registration application and submit it to the competent authority. An overseas business also submits a business plan, and corporate registration details are checked by the official through shared administrative information.

5. 5. Guarantee insurance and change registration

   Before receiving the registration certificate, submit proof of guarantee insurance, mutual aid membership or a deposit with a financial institution. The amount is 10,000,000 won per domestic office and 100,000,000 won for overseas placement (50,000,000 won if only overseas trainees are placed). If the office name, location, representative, staff register or concurrent business changes, apply for change registration within 30 days of the change.

Required documents

• Fee-charging job placement business registration application (Form No. 14)
• Proof of qualification of the representative (officers for a corporation): copies of certificates, career certificates
• Proof of qualification of the job counselor
• Staff register (Form No. 15)
• Business plan (Form No. 8, overseas fee-charging job placement only)
• Proof of guarantee insurance, mutual aid membership or deposit (by the time the registration certificate is issued)
• If the applicant is a foreign national, documents proving no grounds for disqualification
• Letter of authorization (when submitted by an agent)

Fees

Industry range from several hundred thousand won to several million won · Quoted after consultation depending on individual or corporate applicant, domestic or overseas type, and the scope of organizing qualification and career evidence. Government fees and guarantee insurance premiums are separate.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Employment Security Act Article 19
• Employment Security Act Article 21
• Employment Security Act Article 21-2
• Employment Security Act Article 22
• Employment Security Act Article 26
• Employment Security Act Article 34-2
• Employment Security Act Article 35
• Employment Security Act Article 38
• Enforcement Decree of the Employment Security Act Article 21
• Enforcement Decree of the Employment Security Act Article 25
• Enforcement Decree of the Employment Security Act Article 34-2
• Enforcement Rule of the Employment Security Act Article 17
• Enforcement Rule of the Employment Security Act Article 18
• Enforcement Rule of the Employment Security Act Article 19
• Enforcement Rule of the Employment Security Act Article 22
• Notice on Domestic Fee-Charging Job Placement Fees (Ministry of Employment and Labor Notice No. 2017-22)

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-06

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

• Advertisements for a job placement business must state the agency's name, telephone number, location and registration number, so do not advertise before receiving the registration certificate.
• The registration certificate or business name must not be lent to others, and when the guarantee insurance period ends, renew it and submit proof to the registration authority within 10 days.

Frequently asked questions