Average Salary in Korea (South) 2023

How much money does a person working in Korea (South) make?

Average Monthly Salary

3,890,000 KRW

( 46,600,000 KRW yearly)

LOW
983,000
KRW AVERAGE
3,890,000
KRW HIGH
17,400,000
KRW

Distribution of Salaries in Korea (South)

The median, the maximum, the minimum, and the range

• Salary Range

  Salaries in Korea (South) range from 983,000 KRW per month (minimum salary) to 17,400,000 KRW per month (maximum average salary, actual maximum is higher).

• Median Salary

  The median salary is 3,960,000 KRW per month, which means that half (50%) of the population are earning less than 3,960,000 KRW while the other half are earning more than 3,960,000 KRW. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.

• Percentiles

  Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of the population are earning less than 2,230,000 KRW while 75% of them are earning more than 2,230,000 KRW. Also from the diagram, 75% of the population are earning less than 10,900,000 KRW while 25% are earning more than 10,900,000 KRW.

Salary Comparison by Years of Experience

How does a person's salary progress over time?

The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher the wage.

Generally speaking, employees having experience from two to five years earn on average 32% more than freshers and juniors across all industries and disciplines.

Professionals with experience of more than five years tend to earn on average 36% more than those with five years or less of work experience.

As you hit the ten years mark, the salary increases by 21% and an additional 14% for those who have crossed the 15 years mark.

Those figures are presented as guidelines only. The numbers become more significant if you consider one job title at a time.

Salary Comparison By Education

How does the education level affect your salary?

It is well known that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We compared the salaries of professionals at the same level but with different college degrees levels across many jobs, below are our findings.

Workers with a certificate or diploma earn on average 17% more than their peers who only reached the high school level.

Employees who earned a Bachelor's Degree earn 24% more than those who only managed to attain a cerificate or diploma.

Professionals who attained a Master's Degree are awarded salaries that are 29% more than those with a Bachelor's Degree.

Finally, PhD holders earn 23% more than Master's Degree holders on average while doing the same job.

Salary Comparison By Gender

Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male employees in Korea (South) earn 6% more than their female counterparts on avergae across all sectors.

Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage in Korea (South)

How much are annual salary increments in Korea (South)? How often do employees get salary raises?

Korea (South)

Employees in Korea (South) are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 9% every 16 months.

The term 'Annual Salary Increase' usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rarely that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.

How to calculate the salary increment percentage?

The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 ÷ Increase Frequency

Annual Increment Rate By Industry 2022

Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in Korea (South) for the year 2022. Companies within thriving industries tend to provide higher and more frequent raises. Exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, the situation of any company is closely related to the economic situation in the country or region. These figures tend to change frequently.

Average Salary Increase Rate by Experience Level

The difference in increment rates is somehow justified because employers put more effort to retain more experienced staff since they are harder to acquire than less experienced ones.

Worldwide Salary Raises: All Countries and All Jobs

Bonus and Incentive Rates in Korea (South)

How much and how often are bonuses being awarded?

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46% of surveyed staff in Korea (South) reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 54% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.

Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 6% of their annual salary.

Received Bonus		54%
No Bonus		46%

Types of Bonuses Considered

Individual Performance-Based Bonuses

The most standard form of bonus where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.

Company Performance Bonuses

Occasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.

Goal-Based Bonuses

Granted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.

Holiday / End of Year Bonuses

These types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.

Bonuses Are Not Commissions!

People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.

Bonus Rates Comparison by Career Field

What makes a position worthy of good bonuses and a high salary?

Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.

Bonus Comparison by Seniority Level

Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.

Salaries for specific job categories

Choose a job category to explore specific salary details

Salaries for popular jobs

Average Hourly Wage in Korea (South)

22,400 KRW per hour

The average hourly wage (pay per hour) in Korea (South) is 22,400 KRW. This means that the average person in Korea (South) earns approximately 22,400 KRW for every worked hour.

The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fix amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.

Salary Comparison By City

Government vs Private Sector Salary Comparison

Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in Korea (South) earn 6% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.