One of the most common things heard among Uzbeks working in factories or construction sites in Korea is: "I got injured, my boss took me to the hospital, he paid for everything himself, and I stayed quiet so I wouldn't lose my job." A very big mistake is hidden inside this statement. Under Korean law, every worker, whether Korean or Uzbek, documented or undocumented, is protected by the state through sanjae, or 산재보험 (work injury insurance), if they're injured at a registered workplace. The employer has no right to refuse paying into this insurance, it's a legal obligation. The problem is that many people trust their boss when he says "I'll pay, just don't file a claim," because they're afraid of losing their job. But there's a huge difference between an employer paying personally and the state paying through sanjae: through sanjae, you receive not only treatment costs, but also compensation for the days you lost your ability to work, usually around 70% of your average daily wage. In some cases, if the injury is severe, payments can continue for several months. When a boss says "I'll pay," he usually only means the hospital bill, and you lose all your other rights.
The first step after an injury: go to the hospital without fear and tell the doctor, "산재로 처리해 주세요" (sanjaero cheorihae juseyo), meaning "please process this as a sanjae case." Many people are afraid to say this, but it's your legal right and the doctor cannot refuse it. If your employer doesn't agree or objects to filing a sanjae claim, you can contact the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (근로복지공단) directly: phone number 1588-0075, and they will investigate your workplace themselves and review your case, even without documents. You can file a claim even if you're undocumented, there's a lot of misinformation about this, but the law applies to every worker. The most common mistake is delaying the claim for a few days after the injury once it seems to feel a little better. If you delay, it becomes harder to prove. Sanjae isn't something done against your employer, it's a state system, and it exists specifically for you.
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