Average Paymaster Salary in North Korea for 2026
A paymaster in North Korea earns about 1,405,700 KPW a year. That's 40% 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 658,300 KPW a year, while the very top stretches to 2,207,600 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 a paymaster make in North Korea?
A typical paymaster working in North Korea brings home around 117,141 KPW a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 658,300 KPW, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 2,207,600 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 paymaster 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 paymaster 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 paymasters in North Korea earn less than 1,487,200 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 964,000 KPW (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 1,955,300 KPW (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of paymasters sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 658,300 KPW. The highest stretch to 2,207,600 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.
Paymaster pay by experience in North Korea
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a paymaster 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 paymaster salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years758,700 KPW
- 2-5 Years+38% from previous1,047,900 KPW
- 5-10 Years+42% from previous1,487,200 KPW
- 10-15 Years+22% from previous1,811,000 KPW
- 15-20 Years+6% from previous1,921,500 KPW
- 20+ Years+9% from previous2,086,500 KPW
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 42%. That is the point at which a paymaster 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.
Paymaster pay by education in North Korea
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving paymaster 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 paymaster salary in North Korea broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- High School938,700 KPW
- Certificate or Diploma+16% from previous1,092,200 KPW
- Bachelor's Degree+46% from previous1,594,500 KPW
- Master's Degree+31% from previous2,086,500 KPW
Paymaster 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 paymasters in North Korea earn an average of 1,500,800 KPW a year, while female paymasters earn around 1,320,500 KPW. That works out to a 14% 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.
Paymaster gender pay gap
12%
Men earn this much more than women on average in North Korea.
Pay raises for a paymaster 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 28 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
- Energy1%
- Information Technology
- Healthcare2%
- 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 Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Paymaster 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.
14% of paymasters in North Korea reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a paymaster 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 86% of paymasters 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
Paymaster: 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.
Paymaster in North Korea: FAQs
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How much does a paymaster make per month in North Korea?
A paymaster in North Korea earns about 117,141 KPW a month before tax, based on an annual average of 1,405,700 KPW.
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What's the salary range for a paymaster in North Korea?
Entry-level paymasters in North Korea start near 658,300 KPW. Top-end pay reaches around 2,207,600 KPW. The middle 50% of earners sit between 964,000 and 1,955,300 KPW.
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Is the median paymaster salary in North Korea higher or lower than the average?
The median is 1,487,200 KPW, higher than the average of 1,405,700 KPW. Half of paymasters in North Korea earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for paymasters in North Korea?
Men working as a paymaster in North Korea earn around 14% more than women on average (1,500,800 vs 1,320,500 KPW a year).
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Do paymasters in North Korea get bonuses?
About 14% of paymasters in North Korea reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.
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Do paymasters earn more in the public or private sector in North Korea?
In North Korea, the public sector pays a paymaster about 8% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do paymasters in North Korea get a pay raise?
A paymaster in North Korea sees a raise of around 7% every 28 months, equivalent to roughly 3% a year.