Average Special Needs Assistant Salary in North Korea for 2026
A special needs assistant in North Korea earns about 1,741,800 KPW a year. That's 25% 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 799,300 KPW a year, while the very top stretches to 2,759,700 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 a special needs assistant make in North Korea?
A typical special needs assistant working in North Korea brings home around 145,150 KPW a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 799,300 KPW, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 2,759,700 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 special needs assistant 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 special needs assistant 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 special needs assistants in North Korea earn less than 1,882,700 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 1,198,300 KPW (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 2,508,300 KPW (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of special needs assistants sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 799,300 KPW. The highest stretch to 2,759,700 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.
Special needs assistant pay by experience in North Korea
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a special needs assistant 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 special needs assistant salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years907,100 KPW
- 2-5 Years+34% from previous1,212,800 KPW
- 5-10 Years+47% from previous1,788,300 KPW
- 10-15 Years+22% from previous2,184,900 KPW
- 15-20 Years+9% from previous2,374,400 KPW
- 20+ Years+9% from previous2,579,200 KPW
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 47%. That is the point at which a special needs assistant 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.
Special needs assistant pay by education in North Korea
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving special needs assistant 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 special needs assistant salary in North Korea broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- Certificate or Diploma1,057,100 KPW
- Bachelor's Degree+93% from previous2,038,500 KPW
Special needs assistant 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 special needs assistants in North Korea earn an average of 1,583,700 KPW a year, while female special needs assistants earn around 1,896,700 KPW. That works out to a 17% 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.
Special Needs Assistant gender pay gap
17%
Men earn this much less than women on average in North Korea.
Pay raises for a special needs assistant 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 6% every 30 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
- 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
Special needs assistant 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% of special needs assistants in North Korea reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a special needs assistant 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 special needs assistants 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
Special needs assistant: 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.
Special Needs Assistant in North Korea: FAQs
-
How much does a special needs assistant make per month in North Korea?
A special needs assistant in North Korea earns about 145,150 KPW a month before tax, based on an annual average of 1,741,800 KPW.
-
What's the salary range for a special needs assistant in North Korea?
Entry-level special needs assistants in North Korea start near 799,300 KPW. Top-end pay reaches around 2,759,700 KPW. The middle 50% of earners sit between 1,198,300 and 2,508,300 KPW.
-
Is the median special needs assistant salary in North Korea higher or lower than the average?
The median is 1,882,700 KPW, higher than the average of 1,741,800 KPW. Half of special needs assistants in North Korea earn below the median, half earn above it.
-
What's the gender pay gap for special needs assistants in North Korea?
Men working as a special needs assistant in North Korea earn around 17% less than women on average (1,583,700 vs 1,896,700 KPW a year).
-
Do special needs assistants in North Korea get bonuses?
About 16% of special needs assistants in North Korea reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.
-
Do special needs assistants earn more in the public or private sector in North Korea?
In North Korea, the public sector pays a special needs assistant about 8% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
-
How often do special needs assistants in North Korea get a pay raise?
A special needs assistant in North Korea sees a raise of around 6% every 30 months, equivalent to roughly 2% a year.