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Average Automotive Technician Salary in North Korea for 2026

An automotive technician in North Korea earns about 917,700 KPW a year. That's 61% below the national average of 2,327,100 KPW.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in North Korea sit around 442,200 KPW a year, while the very top stretches to 1,440,700 KPW. Everything on this page is in North Korean won (KPW, 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 North 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 automotive technician make in North Korea?

Average salary
917,700 KPW
76,475 KPW per month
Lowest reported
442,200 KPW
36,850 KPW per month
Highest reported
1,440,700 KPW
120,058 KPW per month

A typical automotive technician working in North Korea brings home around 76,475 KPW a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 442,200 KPW, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 1,440,700 KPW 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 automotive technician 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 automotive technician pay ranges in North Korea

A good way to think about salary in North Korea is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all automotive technicians in North Korea earn less than 954,900 KPW 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 628,000 KPW (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 1,249,900 KPW (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of automotive technicians sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 442,200 KPW. The highest stretch to 1,440,700 KPW, 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.

442,200
Low
954,900
Median
1,440,700
High
628,000
25th
1,249,900
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in KPW

Automotive technician pay by experience in North Korea

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an automotive technician in North 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 automotive technician salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    516,100 KPW
  • 2-5 Years
    +41% from previous
    728,500 KPW
  • 5-10 Years
    +32% from previous
    960,900 KPW
  • 10-15 Years
    +23% from previous
    1,181,200 KPW
  • 15-20 Years
    +7% from previous
    1,259,300 KPW
  • 20+ Years
    +10% from previous
    1,380,400 KPW

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 41%. That is the point at which a automotive technician 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.


Automotive technician pay by education in North Korea

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving automotive technician pay in North 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 automotive technician salary in North Korea broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • High School
    639,900 KPW
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +47% from previous
    939,000 KPW
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +34% from previous
    1,259,300 KPW

Automotive technician gender pay gap in North Korea

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and North Korea is no exception. Male automotive technicians in North Korea earn an average of 970,600 KPW a year, while female automotive technicians earn around 890,100 KPW. That works out to a 9% gap in favour of men, 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.

Automotive Technician gender pay gap

8%

Men earn this much more than women on average in North Korea.

Men 970,600 KPW
Women 890,100 KPW

Pay raises for an automotive technician in North 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 North Korea sees a raise of about 5% every 29 months, which works out to roughly 2% 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 North Korea, the national average raise is around 4% every 29 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in North Korea:

  • Banking
  • Energy
    1%
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
    2%
  • 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

Automotive technician bonus rates in North 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.

13%

13% of automotive technicians in North Korea reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an automotive technician 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 0% to 4% of base salary. The remaining 87% of automotive technicians reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in North 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

Automotive technician: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in North Korea is about 8% 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

7%

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

Public sector 2,401,300 KPW
Private sector 2,230,100 KPW


Automotive Technician in North Korea: FAQs

  • How much does an automotive technician make per month in North Korea?

    An automotive technician in North Korea earns about 76,475 KPW a month before tax, based on an annual average of 917,700 KPW.

  • What's the salary range for an automotive technician in North Korea?

    Entry-level automotive technicians in North Korea start near 442,200 KPW. Top-end pay reaches around 1,440,700 KPW. The middle 50% of earners sit between 628,000 and 1,249,900 KPW.

  • Is the median automotive technician salary in North Korea higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 954,900 KPW, higher than the average of 917,700 KPW. Half of automotive technicians in North Korea earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for automotive technicians in North Korea?

    Men working as an automotive technician in North Korea earn around 9% more than women on average (970,600 vs 890,100 KPW a year).

  • Do automotive technicians in North Korea get bonuses?

    About 13% of automotive technicians in North Korea reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.

  • Do automotive technicians earn more in the public or private sector in North Korea?

    In North Korea, the public sector pays an automotive technician about 8% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do automotive technicians in North Korea get a pay raise?

    An automotive technician in North Korea sees a raise of around 5% every 29 months, equivalent to roughly 2% a year.