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C-4 Short-Term Employee

South KoreaWork

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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What type of worker, employment situation, occupation or professional activity is this pathway actually designed for?

C-4 Short-Term Employment covers short-term, profit-making work in three specified groups: (a) performance, modelling, lectures, research, technical instruction and other E-1 through E-7 fields; (b) dispatch under service contracts to install, maintain or repair machinery, or build/supervise ships and industrial facilities; and (c) minister-recognised short seasonal work in crop cultivation/harvest or primary fishery processing. It is not a general visitor status for any paid activity.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The decree defines covered work. Individual eligibility, documentary and application requirements, and the exact period granted need separate route-specific evidence.
  • Current Enforcement Decree Appendix 1, C-4 category, effective 2026-09-15
    가. 일시 흥행, 광고ㆍ패션 모델, 강의ㆍ강연, 연구, 기술 지도 등 별표 1의2 중 14. 교수(E-1)부터 20. 특정활 동(E-7)까지의 체류자격에 해당하는 분야에 수익을 목적으로 단기간 취업활동을 하려는 사람 나. 각종 용역계약 등에 의하여 기계류 등의 설치ㆍ유지 5. 단기취업 ㆍ보수, 조선 및 산업설비 제작․감독 등을 목적으로 (C-4) 국내 공공기관ㆍ민간단체에 파견되어 단기간 영리활 동을 하려는 사람 다. 법무부장관이 관계 중앙행정기관의 장과 협의하여 정하는 농작물 재배ㆍ수확(재배ㆍ수확과 연계된 원시 가공 분야를 포함한다) 및 수산물 원시가공 분야에서 단기간 취업 활동을 하려는 사람으로서 법무부장관이 인정하는 사람

Does the applicant need a job offer, employer, sponsor, transfer relationship or other employer involvement? What is important about that employer relationship?

For the C-4-5 sub-type, foreign scientists must be invited by government-funded research institutes or certified universities in science and technology (e-visa eligible).

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Employer/job-offer involvement for other C-4 sub-types is not stated.

What are the few decisive professional characteristics of the pathway: occupation, qualifications, experience, salary, skill level, shortage status, labour-market condition or equivalent?

The checked official sources did not provide enough route-specific evidence to confirm the decisive professional requirements of this route.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Not established: the correction failed a second independent check (CAIXA_ERRADA: 'Other short-term employment (temporary performance, lecture, research)' is the C-4 overview row in the Professional table, i.e. the type of work (R1). It gives no professional-fit criterion; the residual admits none exist. An honest R3 would be not_found.)

What work does the permission allow? Is the holder tied to an employer, occupation or sector? Can family accompany where clearly established?

C-4 is one of the statuses of stay that legally permit employment activities within the scope permitted under that status. Short-term (under 90 days) paid activities such as temporary shows, advertising/modelling, lectures/speeches, research and technology consulting are covered, and persons dispatched to a Korean public or private institution to install or maintain imported machines or to manufacture or supervise industrial facilities must use C-4 rather than the C-3-4 business visitor visa. The official source does not state whether the holder is tied to one employer or whether family may accompany.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Source is the Korea Legislation Research Institute English translation of the Enforcement Decree (for reference; the Korean text prevails).
  • Source is the Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles page; it states that required documents may vary by consulate/embassy.
  • Whether the holder is tied to one employer and whether family can accompany is not stated.

How long is the permission normally granted for, how is it renewed, and what longer-term residence direction exists if officially stated?

C-4 is a Type C status (temporary stay within 90 days); the Type C period of stay is a maximum of 90 days and is not extendable. The official source does not state a longer-term residence direction.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The period cell is shared by the Type C rows in the table; no longer-term residence direction is stated for C-4.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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