EPS-TOPIK Sectors: What Does 'Construction' Actually Mean?

Introduction

When you write "construction" on your application, which place do you picture?

Many people picture tall apartment buildings and cranes. The place where you actually stand in Korea is much more specific than that. It may be a spot in the summer sun where you tie steel bars. It may be a platform three floors up. On rainy days, the work may stop.

This article shows you that place in advance. First, what a construction business actually does. Next, a self-check on what kind of work feels comfortable to you. Then the kinds of sites there are, and how the rules differ from manufacturing. Finally, the words you will actually hear on a site.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Always verify visa and immigration procedures with HRD Korea's official website or the relevant authority.

Part 1 · What does a construction business do?

Construction means building buildings, roads, and bridges. You dig the ground, put up a frame with steel bars, and pour concrete to harden. On top of that you build walls and floors, and put in water pipes and electric wires.

The biggest difference from a factory is that the workplace is not fixed. A factory makes the same products in the same building every day. A construction site ends when one building is finished. So the workers move on to the next site too.

For 2026, the government set the construction quota at 2,000 workers. Out of the 70,000 assigned by sector, that comes after manufacturing at 50,000, agriculture and livestock at 10,000, and fisheries at 7,000.¹ In other words, this sector selects only a small number of people.

Part 2 · What kind of work suits you?

You do not choose which site you go to, or what work you do there. That does not mean there is nothing to do right now.

There is one thing worth knowing in advance: what kind of work feels comfortable to you. Knowing this tells you what to prepare now, and it makes settling in easier once you arrive.

Construction work has a few clear features. Answer the questions below one by one for yourself.

There is no correct answer. No answer here is better or worse than another.

But if one row made you think "that one would be hard for me," that is where your preparation starts. If heavy lifting worries you, learn now how to lift with your knees instead of bending your back. If noise worries you, practice hearing short instructions in a noisy place and saying them back.

Part 3 · Kinds of sites and the daily work

Now let us put names to those five questions you just answered.

Before that, there is something worth looking at. Korea has already published what construction work involves, in the form of exam tasks. In rounds run under the point system, candidates who pass the EPS-TOPIK take a second-stage skills test. Applicants for construction get five special tasks for their sector.²

• 철근조립 (cheolgeun jorip / assembling rebar): weaving and tying steel bars (rebar) into a set shape, to go inside concrete
• 강관비계설치 및 해체 (gang-gwan bigye seolchi mit haeche / putting up and taking down steel pipe scaffolding): building a platform structure out of steel pipes, then taking it apart again. 비계 (bigye, scaffolding) is a structure put up for a short time so people can work up high
• 그라인더 사용 (geuraindeo sayong / using a grinder): handling a tool with a fast spinning disc that cuts metal or grinds its surface
• 파이프 볼팅 (paipeu bolting / pipe bolting): joining one pipe to another by tightening bolts and nuts
• 전선 접속 (jeonseon jeopsok / joining electric wires): stripping the cover off the ends of wires and joining two wires together

Besides these five, 핀꽂기 (pin kkotgi / pin insertion) is a common task that every sector takes. The special tasks are picked at random for each round. The same page also lists the fitness test (grip and back strength, burpee test, moving equipment, pushing a hand cart) and the interview items.² The task list can change from round to round, so prepare from the notice for your round and the official study materials.

The same page also lists the job competency points. Related experience of one year or more is worth 2 points, related training of 120 hours or more is worth 1 point, a related major at junior college level or above is worth 1 point, and one or more related certificates is worth 1 point, for a maximum of 5. Which rounds this applies to, and how you prove it, must be checked in the recruitment notice.²

Now the kinds of sites. What is being built, and at which stage you work, changes the day.

Building frame sites have the most time spent up high. Rebar assembly and steel pipe scaffolding from the skills test are exactly the work of this site. As the floors go up, the platforms go up with them.

Civil works sites deal with land and roads, not buildings. Large machines move close to you, so you must always watch where they are going.

Finishing and interiors work starts after the frame is complete. You get less sun, but there is a lot of dust. Grinder work comes up often here.

Plumbing and electrical sites make water and power flow inside a building. Pipe bolting and joining electric wires are the work of this site. You will hear many names of small parts and tools.

Landscaping and demolition come at the start and the end of a project. Demolition sites are especially dusty and loud, and you have to watch out for falling pieces.

Part 4 · What is different from manufacturing?

You sit the same exam and enter on the same visa, but some things change with the sector.

Let us take the rows one at a time.

Start with the score. Both numbers are on a 100-point scale. But neither number is a pass mark. HRD Korea states that the exam is graded on a curve, and describes how successful candidates are decided: "Candidates who score at or above the sector minimum are ranked by score, and successful candidates are decided up to the planned selection quota" (업종별 최저 하한 점수 이상 득점자로서, 선발(예정)인원 만큼 성적순으로 합격자 결정).³ The 45 is the line that lets you join the ranked queue. Whether you pass depends on whether your score lands inside the number of people being selected for that sector in that round.

The rules on working hours are the same as in manufacturing. In agriculture and livestock, the Labor Standards Act rules on working hours, breaks, and holidays do not apply, but in construction they apply in full. The standard is 40 hours a week and 8 hours a day, not counting breaks. If both sides agree, you can work up to 12 more hours a week. For extra hours (overtime) and for hours worked between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. (night work), you get at least 50% more of your ordinary wage. For work on a day off (holiday work), you get 50% more for up to 8 hours, and 100% more for the hours beyond 8. On average, you must have at least one paid day off each week.⁴ Note that the Labor Standards Act applies to workplaces with five or more regular workers, and only some of its provisions apply where there are four or fewer.⁴

The minimum wage is the same too. The 2026 minimum wage is 10,320 won per hour. Calculated on 209 hours per month at a 40-hour week, that comes to 2,156,880 won. It applies to every workplace with no distinction by sector.⁵

The biggest difference is that you have to move to a new workplace when a project ends. For E-9 workers, changing your workplace (a workplace change) is limited to three times in the first three years and twice during the extended period. But a Ministry of Employment and Labor notice lists "when construction is finished or the business is completed" as a reason for workplace change that is not the worker's fault.⁶ And Article 25 of the Act on the Employment of Foreign Workers says that changes made for this kind of reason are not counted toward that limit.⁷ Still, you must check with your local Job Center, when you apply, whether your own case is actually accepted as this reason.

There are also deadlines to keep when you move. You must apply for a workplace change within one month of the day your employment contract ends. Then, within three months of applying, you must get permission to work at the new workplace (a permit to change workplace).⁷ You must not work anywhere else before you get that permit.⁸ For the detailed procedure, check with your local Job Center or the Ministry of Employment and Labor call center (1350).

The weather affects the work too. Employers must stop work when rain, snow, or wind could put workers in danger.⁹ So in construction, there are days when you cannot work. How your pay is calculated for those days can depend on the method written in your employment contract (by the hour, by the day, or by the month). Be sure to check this when you receive your contract.

Housing rules are the same regardless of sector. Since January 1, 2021, the Ministry of Employment and Labor has refused new employment permits where the housing provided is a container or a prefabricated panel structure. The only exception is where the local government has issued a construction report certificate for use as "temporary housing."¹⁰ Your housing may change each time you move sites, so keep this rule in mind at every new site.

Part 5 · The words about safety

That is how much the work differs from site to site. But there are things you have to watch out for on any site.

Look at the 2024 figures from the Ministry of Employment and Labor. In 2024, 589 people died in accidents at work. Of these, construction had the most, with 276 deaths (46.9%). By type of accident, "falls" were the largest at 227 deaths (38.5%), and "being struck by objects" came to 83 deaths (14.1%). The numbers by accident type cover all workplaces combined, not only construction.¹¹

A fall is an accident where a person falls from a high place. Being struck by an object is an accident where you are hit by something that falls from above or flies at you. Both are closely tied to construction sites, where people work up high.

That is why Korea sets protective equipment by law. Where there is a risk of falling from a height or into a depth of 2 meters or more, the employer must provide a 안전대 (anjeondae / safety harness). A safety harness is a strap you wear on your body, with a hook you attach to something strong. Where objects may fall or fly, or where a person may fall, the employer must provide a 안전모 (anjeonmo / safety helmet).⁹

The first sentences to learn on a site are the ones that warn people of danger.

• "위에서 물건 떨어져요!" (wieseo mulgeon tteoreojyeoyo / "Something is falling from above!")
• "조심해!" (josimhae / "Watch out!")
• "밑에 사람 있어요!" (mite saram isseoyo / "There are people below!")
• "안전모 쓰세요." (anjeonmo sseuseyo / "Put on your safety helmet.")
• "안전대 거세요." (anjeondae geoseyo / "Hook on your safety harness.")

If someone above shouts "조심해!", do not look up. First, step away from where you are standing. If you drop something from above, shout loudly to warn the people below.

The law also sets safety training that you take before starting work on a construction site. Employers must give workers the safety and health training they need for the job when they hire them. Construction workers hired by the day (daily construction workers) must take at least 4 hours of "basic safety and health training for the construction industry."¹² Check which training you will take when you first arrive at a site.

This shows up on the exam as well. The EPS-TOPIK exam standards describe the content as Korean language ability, understanding of Korean culture, and industrial safety and health.¹³

Part 6 · The words you use while working

After safety, the words you hear most are about the materials and tools in front of you. The six words below come up often on sites.¹⁴

Words that are in no dictionary or textbook

Construction sites have especially many words that came from Japanese. They have been used on sites for a long time and have stayed that way. The table below includes only the pairs confirmed in a study of construction words published by the National Institute of Korean Language.¹⁵

This table has one purpose. It is not so that you use these words. It is so that you understand them when you hear them.

Look at the first row. The "steel pipe scaffolding" task in the skills test is also about building this kind of platform structure. So on a site you may hear "아시바", "비계", and "발판" all used. The word 가타와쿠 in the second row shares its root with 가타 (gata), which we saw in the manufacturing article.

When a word does not get through, check it again with the standard Korean word. If you ask "아시바요? 발판 말씀이세요?" (asibayo? balpan malsseumiseyo? / "Asiba? You mean the platform?"), most people will understand.

Part 7 · When the words arrive inside a sentence

On a site, these words never come alone. They arrive inside short instruction sentences.

Construction instructions often come with a position and a direction. Whether to lift something up, bring it down, or where to put it matters most. Because of machine noise, instructions may also come cut short.

The way 봐 (bwa), 놔 (nwa), and 둬 (dwo) attached to a verb change its meaning is the same on any work site. "해 봐" (hae bwa) means try it once now, and "해 놔" (hae nwa) means finish it completely and leave it ready.

The words from above, inside real sentences

When you do not understand

Do not just nod. Memorize these three sentences.

• "다시 한번 말해 주세요." (dasi hanbeon malhae juseyo / "Please say that one more time.")
• "천천히 말해 주세요." (cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo / "Please speak slowly.")
• "어디에 둘까요?" (eodie dulkkayo? / "Where should I put it?")

The last one is especially useful on a site. On a construction site, if you put something in the wrong place, someone may trip over it, or it may fall from a high place. If you understood what to do but missed where to put it, always ask again.

Wrapping Up

You cannot choose your site now. What you can prepare now is what you will hear in your first week. Three things.

First, start with the sentences that warn of danger. "위에서 물건 떨어져요!", "조심해!", "밑에 사람 있어요!". Of the 589 people who died in accidents at work in 2024, 276 were in construction. These sentences come before any tool name.

Second, learn the site words. 현장, 철근, 콘크리트, 비계, 안전대, 공구. Add the names of the five special skills test tasks, and the meaning of site words like 아시바 and 시마이, and your first week gets noticeably easier.

Third, learn instructions together with their position. "위로 올려" (lift it up), "밑에 봐" (look below), "거기 두지 마" (do not put it there). On a construction site, where you put something matters as much as what you do. Learn the three "please repeat" sentences alongside them.

If you are not sure where to begin, look again at the questions you answered in Part 2. If heights worry you, start with 안전대 (safety harness), 발판 (platform), and 밑에 봐 (look below). If moving after a project ends worries you, remember the one month and three months from Part 4 first.

Your application says only "construction." What you will actually meet is rebar, platforms, and concrete. Think in those specific words now, and you will understand far more in your first week in Korea.

Practice with SEDA

Safety words and work words are easy to forget after you see them once. Later, when you hear them on a site, they may not come back to you.

Try SEDA's reading questions on safety and health. Save the ones you get wrong to Review Notes. You will get reminders at D+3, D+7, and D+30. You meet the same expression three times on three different days.

Download SEDA — free on iOS and Android

References