Korean at work in electronics, cars and shipbuilding
Korean matters at work wherever companies deal with South Korea. Large South Korean groups such as Samsung and LG in electronics or Hyundai and Kia in car making sell and produce worldwide, and Korean companies also work in chemicals and shipbuilding. Their subsidiaries, suppliers and customers abroad need staff who can follow a call with the head office or read a Korean document.
Three groups of jobs use Korean most often.
- Staff at Korean subsidiaries and at their partners and suppliers, who work with colleagues at the head office in Korea.
- People who move to South Korea for work, often after a working holiday year, which South Korea offers young people from countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK.
- Translators, interpreters and staff in tourism, media and culture, who work with Korean content and Korean visitors.
In international teams English is often the working language. Korean then helps in direct contact with the head office, during visits and in informal conversations with Korean colleagues.
Business Korean with formal speech levels and job titles
Business Korean differs from everyday Korean mainly in its verb endings and forms of address. A speech level is the verb ending that shows how polite you are towards the other person. At work you use the formal polite -nida form in presentations, announcements and with customers, and the polite -yo form with colleagues. The honorific -si- in the verb marks the actions of superiors and customers.
| Situation | Usual form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Presentation to customers | formal polite -nida | gamsahamnida (thank you) |
| Talk with colleagues | polite -yo | gamsahaeyo (thanks) |
| Addressing a team leader | job title plus -nim | timjangnim |
| Question to a superior | honorific -si- | gaseyo? (are you going?) |
In Korean offices, people usually address colleagues by their job title with the honorific suffix -nim, for example timjangnim for a team leader. Business vocabulary comes largely from Chinese roots. Hoesa (company) and hoeui (meeting) share the same first syllable, so a course that teaches such Sino-Korean words in families speeds up your reading.
Specialised Korean for a single profession, such as engineering, law or medicine, is hard to find as an online course. Specialised language means the vocabulary and text types of one profession. Many learners therefore combine a business Korean course with documents from their own work.
TOPIK levels 3 to 6 and the tasks they cover at work
Employers usually ask for proof of Korean as a TOPIK level. The TOPIK is South Korea's official Korean exam, run by the National Institute for International Education (NIIED), and it has six levels. The level descriptions published by Korean universities show which tasks each level covers.
| TOPIK level | What the level describes | Typical use at work |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | language for public facilities and social relationships | contact with Korean visitors and partners |
| 4 | easier parts of news and newspapers, social and abstract topics | reading emails, simple meetings |
| 5 | language for research and professional work | working in Korean on specialist topics |
| 6 | no difficulty in performing language functions | negotiations, contracts, interpreting |
The third column is a guide derived from the descriptions, and your employer sets the binding requirement. For comparison, Korean universities usually ask for at least level 3 for degrees taught in Korean, and many ask for level 4 to graduate.
The TOPIK does not use the CEFR, the European scale from A1 to C2, so a job advert that asks for Korean at B2 has no official TOPIK equivalent. Ask the employer in writing which TOPIK level it accepts.
The TOPIK as proof of Korean for job applications
The TOPIK, South Korea's official Korean exam, has two parts. TOPIK I tests listening and reading and awards levels 1 and 2. TOPIK II tests listening, reading and writing and awards levels 3 to 6, so it is the relevant test for most jobs. Its writing part includes a descriptive text and an argumentative essay, which trains the formal written Korean of reports.
Three rules matter for job applications.
- A TOPIK score is valid for two years from the day the results are announced. Plan the exam close to your application.
- The paper test has no speaking part. A separate test, TOPIK Speaking, is offered only in Korea in 2026, so employers abroad check spoken Korean in the interview.
- You sit the TOPIK at a test centre, either on paper or as the internet-based TOPIK (IBT) on computer. Places abroad are limited, so register early.
Be careful with course certificates that look like official proof. Only NIIED issues TOPIK results, and a course certificate shows attendance only.
6 topics of a business Korean course
A business Korean course should cover six topics, ideally with your own texts from work.
- Self-introduction in the formal -nida form, with company, department and position.
- Business emails with fixed opening and closing phrases in the right speech level.
- Phone calls and video meetings, including asking someone to repeat or slow down.
- Meetings and presentations, with phrases for agreeing, disagreeing politely and summing up.
- Hierarchy in language, meaning job titles with -nim, the honorific -si- and humble forms for yourself, such as jeo instead of na for I.
- Sino-Korean business vocabulary in word families.
Business Korean takes time. The US Foreign Service Institute (FSI), the language school of the US State Department, puts professional fluency in Korean at about 2,200 class hours of full-time training. With three hours a week you collect about 130 hours a year, so a course for work usually runs alongside the job for several years or includes an intensive phase.
A teacher with office experience in Korea corrects speech levels in your real emails and role plays and explains which form fits which person in the hierarchy.
Frequently asked questions about online Korean courses for work
Which TOPIK level do employers expect for jobs that use Korean?
Employers set their own requirement for jobs that use Korean, usually as a TOPIK level. Level 5 of the TOPIK describes the Korean needed for research and professional work, and level 6 the highest command. For roles with occasional contact, a lower level can be useful, and the employer's written requirement decides.
Which speech level is used in Korean business communication?
Korean business communication uses the formal polite -nida form in presentations, announcements and with customers. With colleagues, the polite -yo form is common. Superiors are addressed with their job title and the suffix -nim, and their actions take the honorific -si- in the verb.
How do you address a manager in a Korean company?
In a Korean company you address a manager by job title plus the honorific suffix -nim, for example timjangnim for a team leader. Using only the name sounds impolite towards superiors. A business Korean course practises these titles together with the matching speech levels.
How do you prove business Korean to an employer?
Business Korean is usually proven with the TOPIK, South Korea's official Korean exam, which reports levels 1 to 6. TOPIK II covers levels 3 to 6 and includes a writing part. The result is valid for two years, so plan the exam close to your application.
How long does it take to learn Korean for work?
Learning Korean for work to a professional level takes about 2,200 class hours of full-time training, according to the US Foreign Service Institute. With three hours a week you collect about 130 hours a year. An intensive phase or a stay in Korea shortens the path.
Does the TOPIK test spoken Korean for job applications?
The paper-based TOPIK does not test spoken Korean. A separate TOPIK Speaking test exists, but it is offered only in Korea in 2026. Employers abroad therefore check spoken Korean in the job interview.
Sources
The information is based on these sources. Check fees and dates with the provider before you register.