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Average Engineering Lab Technician Salary in North Korea for 2026

An engineering lab technician in North Korea earns about 1,967,000 KPW a year. That's 15% 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 904,700 KPW a year, while the very top stretches to 3,132,800 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 engineering lab technician make in North Korea?

Average salary
1,967,000 KPW
163,916 KPW per month
Lowest reported
904,700 KPW
75,391 KPW per month
Highest reported
3,132,800 KPW
261,066 KPW per month

A typical engineering lab technician working in North Korea brings home around 163,916 KPW a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 904,700 KPW, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 3,132,800 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 engineering lab 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 engineering lab 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 engineering lab technicians in North Korea earn less than 2,124,400 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 1,369,700 KPW (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 2,831,100 KPW (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of engineering lab technicians sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 904,700 KPW. The highest stretch to 3,132,800 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.

904,700
Low
2,124,400
Median
3,132,800
High
1,369,700
25th
2,831,100
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in KPW

Engineering lab technician pay by experience in North Korea

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

  • 0-2 Years
    1,027,600 KPW
  • 2-5 Years
    +33% from previous
    1,369,700 KPW
  • 5-10 Years
    +48% from previous
    2,026,800 KPW
  • 10-15 Years
    +22% from previous
    2,471,700 KPW
  • 15-20 Years
    +9% from previous
    2,698,900 KPW
  • 20+ Years
    +8% from previous
    2,914,600 KPW

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 48%. That is the point at which a engineering lab 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.


Engineering lab technician pay by education in North Korea

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

  • Bachelor's Degree
    1,195,600 KPW
  • Master's Degree
    +93% from previous
    2,304,300 KPW

Engineering lab 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 engineering lab technicians in North Korea earn an average of 2,136,200 KPW a year, while female engineering lab technicians earn around 1,800,200 KPW. That works out to a 19% 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.

Engineering Lab Technician gender pay gap

16%

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

Men 2,136,200 KPW
Women 1,800,200 KPW

Pay raises for an engineering lab 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 7% every 29 months, which works out to roughly 3% 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

Engineering lab 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.

16%

16% of engineering lab technicians in North Korea reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an engineering lab 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 84% of engineering lab 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

Engineering lab 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


Engineering Lab Technician in North Korea: FAQs

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

    An engineering lab technician in North Korea earns about 163,916 KPW a month before tax, based on an annual average of 1,967,000 KPW.

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

    Entry-level engineering lab technicians in North Korea start near 904,700 KPW. Top-end pay reaches around 3,132,800 KPW. The middle 50% of earners sit between 1,369,700 and 2,831,100 KPW.

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

    The median is 2,124,400 KPW, higher than the average of 1,967,000 KPW. Half of engineering lab technicians in North Korea earn below the median, half earn above it.

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

    Men working as an engineering lab technician in North Korea earn around 19% more than women on average (2,136,200 vs 1,800,200 KPW a year).

  • Do engineering lab technicians in North Korea get bonuses?

    About 16% of engineering lab technicians in North Korea reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.

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

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

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

    An engineering lab technician in North Korea sees a raise of around 7% every 29 months, equivalent to roughly 3% a year.