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Average Administrative Receptionist Salary in South Korea for 2026

An administrative receptionist in South Korea earns about 21,961,700 KRW a year. That's 53% below the national average of 46,680,900 KRW.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in South Korea sit around 11,399,200 KRW a year, while the very top stretches to 33,599,200 KRW. Everything on this page is in South Korean won (KRW, symbol ₩), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in South Korea, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.


How much does an administrative receptionist make in South Korea?

Average salary
21,961,700 KRW
1,830,141 KRW per month
Lowest reported
11,399,200 KRW
949,933 KRW per month
Highest reported
33,599,200 KRW
2,799,933 KRW per month

A typical administrative receptionist working in South Korea brings home around 1,830,141 KRW a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 11,399,200 KRW, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 33,599,200 KRW for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior administrative receptionist working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.


How administrative receptionist pay ranges in South Korea

A good way to think about salary in South Korea is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all administrative receptionists in South Korea earn less than 20,999,200 KRW a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 14,639,900 KRW (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 26,158,200 KRW (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of administrative receptionists sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 11,399,200 KRW. The highest stretch to 33,599,200 KRW, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

11,399,200
Low
20,999,200
Median
33,599,200
High
14,639,900
25th
26,158,200
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in KRW

Administrative receptionist pay by experience in South Korea

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an administrative receptionist in South Korea, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical administrative receptionist salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    12,958,200 KRW
  • 2-5 Years
    +34% from previous
    17,399,400 KRW
  • 5-10 Years
    +30% from previous
    22,558,900 KRW
  • 10-15 Years
    +21% from previous
    27,361,200 KRW
  • 15-20 Years
    +9% from previous
    29,881,100 KRW
  • 20+ Years
    +5% from previous
    31,440,200 KRW

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 34%. That is the point at which a administrative receptionist typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.


Administrative receptionist pay by education in South Korea

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving administrative receptionist pay in South Korea. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average administrative receptionist salary in South Korea broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • High School
    15,360,400 KRW
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +44% from previous
    22,081,800 KRW
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +38% from previous
    30,479,000 KRW

Administrative receptionist gender pay gap in South Korea

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and South Korea is no exception. Male administrative receptionists in South Korea earn an average of 21,361,700 KRW a year, while female administrative receptionists earn around 22,681,800 KRW. That works out to a 6% gap in favour of women, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Administrative Receptionist gender pay gap

6%

Men earn this much less than women on average in South Korea.

Women 22,681,800 KRW
Men 21,361,700 KRW

Pay raises for an administrative receptionist in South Korea

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in South Korea sees a raise of about 9% every 18 months, which works out to roughly 6% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in South Korea, the national average raise is around 9% every 16 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in South Korea:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Administrative receptionist bonus rates in South Korea

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

27%

27% of administrative receptionists in South Korea reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an administrative receptionist a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary. The remaining 73% of administrative receptionists reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in South Korea

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Administrative receptionist: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in South Korea is about 6% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in South Korea on average.

Public sector 47,880,300 KRW
Private sector 45,239,100 KRW

Administrative receptionist salary by city in South Korea

Administrative receptionist pay is not even across South Korea. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Seoul
  • Busan
  • Incheon
  • Daegu
  • Daejeon
  • Gwangju
  • Suweon
  • Bucheon
  • Ulsan
  • Goyang
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
SeoulCity25,801,200 KRW24,239,000 KRW13,679,300-39,241,100 KRW
BusanCity25,200,800 KRW24,718,600 KRW12,841,200-38,760,100 KRW
IncheonCity24,599,500 KRW25,079,200 KRW11,998,600-38,281,500 KRW
DaeguCity23,878,400 KRW25,321,400 KRW11,245,700-37,800,500 KRW
DaejeonCity23,280,700 KRW21,478,100 KRW12,600,600-35,159,900 KRW
GwangjuCity22,681,800 KRW21,719,900 KRW11,782,700-34,679,400 KRW
SuweonCity22,081,800 KRW22,081,800 KRW11,028,500-34,198,600 KRW
BucheonCity21,719,900 KRW21,361,700 KRW11,088,300-33,481,400 KRW
UlsanCity21,361,700 KRW23,040,200 KRW9,804,400-33,841,700 KRW
GoyangCity20,760,500 KRW19,439,300 KRW10,966,400-31,440,200 KRW
SeongnamCity20,518,900 KRW21,361,700 KRW9,863,700-32,280,500 KRW


Administrative Receptionist in South Korea: FAQs

  • How much does an administrative receptionist make per month in South Korea?

    An administrative receptionist in South Korea earns about 1,830,141 KRW a month before tax, based on an annual average of 21,961,700 KRW.

  • What's the salary range for an administrative receptionist in South Korea?

    Entry-level administrative receptionists in South Korea start near 11,399,200 KRW. Top-end pay reaches around 33,599,200 KRW. The middle 50% of earners sit between 14,639,900 and 26,158,200 KRW.

  • Is the median administrative receptionist salary in South Korea higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 20,999,200 KRW, lower than the average of 21,961,700 KRW. Half of administrative receptionists in South Korea earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for administrative receptionists in South Korea?

    Men working as an administrative receptionist in South Korea earn around 6% less than women on average (21,361,700 vs 22,681,800 KRW a year).

  • Do administrative receptionists in South Korea get bonuses?

    About 27% of administrative receptionists in South Korea reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary.

  • Do administrative receptionists earn more in the public or private sector in South Korea?

    In South Korea, the public sector pays an administrative receptionist about 6% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do administrative receptionists in South Korea get a pay raise?

    An administrative receptionist in South Korea sees a raise of around 9% every 18 months, equivalent to roughly 6% a year.