Average Technical Engineer Salary in North Korea for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Technical Engineer salary for 2026 in North Korea and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the North Korean won. To keep things simple, we are using the KPW currency code instead of the currency symbol .

How Much Does a Technical Engineer Make in North Korea?

A Technical Engineer working in North Korea will typically earn around 1,870,400 KPW per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 991,000 KPW to the highest average salary of 2,844,200 KPW.

Average Annual Salary1,870,400 KPW
Average Monthly Salary155,866 KPW
Average Lowest Salary991,000 KPW
Lowest Monthly Salary82,583 KPW
Average Highest Salary2,844,200 KPW
Highest Monthly Salary237,016 KPW

These are average salaries for a Technical Engineer in North Korea and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Technical Engineer to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Technical Engineer salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Technical Engineer Salaries in North Korea

So we've looked at the average salaries a Technical Engineer will earn in North Korea. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Technical Engineer can earn between 991,000 KPW and 2,844,200 KPW on average in North Korea. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Technical Engineer in North Korea is 1,765,300 KPW. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 1,765,300 KPW, and 50% of the population earn more than 1,765,300 KPW.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Technical Engineer salary in North Korea, 25% of the population are earning less than 1,235,600 KPW while 75% of the population earn more than 1,235,600 KPW.

75% of the population earn less than 2,161,200 KPW, and 25% of the population earn more than 2,161,200 KPW.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Technical Engineer Salary by Experience Level in North Korea

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average Technical Engineer salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Technical Engineer in North Korea that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 1,138,300 KPW.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Technical Engineer salary would increase to 1,405,700 KPW.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Technical Engineer, the average salary would be 1,980,600 KPW.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 2,314,800 KPW.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Technical Engineer with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 2,543,000 KPW.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Technical Engineer with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 2,698,900 KPW.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
1,138,300 KPW
2-5 Years+23%
1,405,700 KPW
5-10 Years+42%
1,980,600 KPW
10-15 Years+17%
2,314,800 KPW
15-20 Years+10%
2,543,000 KPW
20+ Years+6%
2,698,900 KPW

Technical Engineer Salary by Education Level in North Korea

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Technical Engineer in North Korea based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Technical Engineer in North Korea with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 1,283,600 KPW.
  • Master's Degree. A Technical Engineer in North Korea with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 2,495,600 KPW.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree-
1,283,600 KPW
Master's Degree+93%
2,495,600 KPW

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in North Korea is around 971,000 to 2,910,000 KPW and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Technical Engineer Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In North Korea, a male technical engineer will earn an average of 1,967,000 KPW, while a female technical engineer will earn around 1,716,600 KPW.

This means that a male technical engineer earns approximately 15% more than a female technical engineer for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in North Korea

Male-
1,967,000 KPW
Female-15%
1,716,600 KPW

Technical Engineer Average Pay Raise in North Korea

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Technical Engineer in North Korea is around 6% every 29 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in North Korea is around 4% every 29 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 6 ÷ 29 ) × 12  = 2%

What this means is that a Technical Engineer in North Korea can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 2% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in North Korea for 2026

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in North Korea.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking-
5%
Energy-
1%
Information Technology-
6%
Healthcare-
2%
Travel-
7%
Construction-
3%
Education-
8%

Technical Engineer Bonus and Incentive Rates in North Korea

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Technical Engineer is a low bonus based job, with 9% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

91% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3%.

Received Bonus-
9%
No Bonus-
91%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in North Korea earn approximately 8% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
2,401,300 KPW
Private Sector-8%
2,230,100 KPW

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Technical Engineer

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Technical Engineer in North Korea.

Job TitleCategorySalary
Acoustics EngineerEngineering2,065,400 KPW
Assembly Engineering TechnicianEngineering1,703,200 KPW
Assistant Chief EngineerEngineering2,254,400 KPW
Associate EngineerEngineering1,930,500 KPW
AutoCAD DrafterEngineering1,259,300 KPW
Autocad OperatorEngineering1,380,400 KPW
Automation EngineerEngineering2,290,300 KPW
Automation EngineerEngineering2,362,300 KPW
Avionic System Support EngineerEngineering2,026,800 KPW
BMS EngineerEngineering1,990,300 KPW
Biochemical EngineerEngineering1,882,700 KPW
Bridge and Lock TenderEngineering1,122,900 KPW
Broadcast EngineerEngineering2,026,800 KPW
CAD Design EngineerEngineering2,146,100 KPW
CAD DesignerEngineering1,320,500 KPW
CAE EngineerEngineering2,184,900 KPW
Ceramics EngineerEngineering1,870,400 KPW
Chemical EngineerEngineering2,197,700 KPW
Civil DrafterEngineering1,357,900 KPW
Civil EngineerEngineering2,146,100 KPW
Civil Site EngineerEngineering2,197,700 KPW
Civil TechnicianEngineering1,306,100 KPW
Commissioning EngineerEngineering1,980,600 KPW
Communications EngineerEngineering2,266,400 KPW
Condition Monitoring EngineerEngineering1,751,700 KPW
Contract Associate EngineerEngineering1,921,500 KPW
Contract EngineerEngineering1,942,700 KPW
Control Systems EngineerEngineering2,076,600 KPW
Controls EngineerEngineering2,076,600 KPW
Controls Software EngineerEngineering1,882,700 KPW
Corrosion EngineerEngineering2,015,600 KPW
Design EngineerEngineering2,161,200 KPW
Director of EngineeringEngineering4,152,200 KPW
DrafterEngineering1,283,600 KPW
Drafting ManagerEngineering2,374,400 KPW
Drilling EngineerEngineering2,076,600 KPW
Drilling ForemanEngineering656,800 KPW
Electrical DraughtsmanEngineering1,102,900 KPW
Electrical EngineerEngineering2,374,400 KPW
Electrical Engineering ManagerEngineering3,156,400 KPW
Electromechanical Engineering TechnologistEngineering2,242,500 KPW
Electromechanical Equipment AssemblerEngineering1,108,500 KPW
Energy EngineerEngineering2,184,900 KPW
Engine AssemblerEngineering919,700 KPW
EngineerEngineering2,352,500 KPW
Engineering Account ManagerEngineering2,374,400 KPW
Engineering Chief DesignerEngineering2,362,300 KPW
Engineering ConsultantEngineering2,844,200 KPW
Engineering Key Account ManagerEngineering3,094,100 KPW
Engineering Lab TechnicianEngineering1,967,000 KPW
Engineering ManagerEngineering2,893,600 KPW
Engineering Planning ManagerEngineering3,013,500 KPW
Engineering Production ManagerEngineering3,781,400 KPW
Engineering Project AnalystEngineering2,519,500 KPW
Engineering Project Coordinator Engineering2,389,200 KPW
Engineering Project DirectorEngineering4,270,100 KPW
Engineering Project LeaderEngineering2,724,700 KPW
Engineering Project ManagerEngineering3,085,500 KPW
Engineering Research and Development ManagerEngineering3,288,400 KPW
Engineering Safety CoordinatorEngineering1,606,100 KPW
Engineering Sales ManagerEngineering2,987,000 KPW
Engineering TechnicianEngineering1,716,600 KPW
Engineering TechnologistEngineering1,668,900 KPW
Environmental EngineerEngineering1,990,300 KPW
Equipment EngineerEngineering1,882,700 KPW
Equipment Engineering ManagerEngineering2,759,700 KPW
EstimatorEngineering1,777,700 KPW
Fabrication SpecialistEngineering1,560,800 KPW
FabricatorEngineering1,015,500 KPW
Facade EngineerEngineering1,990,300 KPW
Fiber AnalystEngineering1,212,800 KPW
Field EngineerEngineering2,207,600 KPW
Field Engineering ManagerEngineering3,622,400 KPW
Fire EngineerEngineering2,136,200 KPW
Fitter and TurnerEngineering691,200 KPW
Forestry Strategic PlannerEngineering2,593,900 KPW
Generation EngineerEngineering2,161,200 KPW
Genetic EngineerEngineering2,327,100 KPW
Geological EngineerEngineering2,124,400 KPW
Geotechnical EngineerEngineering2,314,800 KPW
HSE ProfessionalEngineering1,896,700 KPW
HVAC EngineerEngineering2,374,400 KPW
HVAC SupervisorEngineering1,921,500 KPW
Heavy Equipment MechanicEngineering1,130,200 KPW
Highway EngineerEngineering2,197,700 KPW
Industrial EngineerEngineering1,967,000 KPW
Industrial Engineering TechnologistEngineering2,065,400 KPW
Instrument EngineerEngineering2,110,600 KPW
Instrument TechnicianEngineering1,125,500 KPW
Instrumentation DesignerEngineering1,777,700 KPW
Instrumentation EngineerEngineering2,207,600 KPW
Instrumentation ManagerEngineering2,110,600 KPW
Instrumentation and Control EngineerEngineering2,052,200 KPW
Irrigation EngineerEngineering2,015,600 KPW
Licensed Aircraft EngineerEngineering2,362,300 KPW
Locomotive EngineerEngineering2,015,600 KPW
Maintenance EngineerEngineering1,967,000 KPW
Maintenance FitterEngineering733,300 KPW
Maintenance ManagerEngineering2,161,200 KPW
Manufacturing EngineerEngineering2,052,200 KPW
Marine EngineerEngineering2,173,000 KPW
Materials EngineerEngineering2,136,200 KPW
Materials ResearcherEngineering1,990,300 KPW
Materials TechnicianEngineering1,537,500 KPW
Mechanical Design EngineerEngineering2,281,800 KPW
Mechanical DesignerEngineering1,870,400 KPW
Mechanical EngineerEngineering2,352,500 KPW
Mechanical Engineering ManagerEngineering2,844,200 KPW
Mechanical InspectorEngineering2,086,500 KPW
Mechanical and Electrical EngineerEngineering2,362,300 KPW
Mechatronics EngineerEngineering2,339,200 KPW
Mining EngineerEngineering2,076,600 KPW
Oil and Petrochemical EngineerEngineering2,266,400 KPW
Optical EngineerEngineering2,136,200 KPW
Optical Instrument AssemblerEngineering1,130,200 KPW
PCB AssemblerEngineering785,400 KPW
Photonics EngineerEngineering2,290,300 KPW
Photonics TechnicianEngineering1,896,700 KPW
Pipeline EngineerEngineering1,990,300 KPW
Piping DesignerEngineering1,195,600 KPW
Piping EngineerEngineering2,038,500 KPW
Planning EngineerEngineering2,254,400 KPW
Pressure Vessel InspectorEngineering996,600 KPW
Principal Cost EngineerEngineering2,207,600 KPW
Principal EngineerEngineering2,161,200 KPW
Principal Support EngineerEngineering2,184,900 KPW
Process EngineerEngineering2,086,500 KPW
Process OperatorEngineering1,212,800 KPW
Product Development EngineerEngineering2,221,600 KPW
Product Development TechnicianEngineering1,583,700 KPW
Product EngineerEngineering2,242,500 KPW
Product Safety EngineerEngineering2,003,200 KPW
Production EngineerEngineering2,221,600 KPW
Project EngineerEngineering2,314,800 KPW
Proposal ManagerEngineering2,844,200 KPW
Purchasing EngineerEngineering2,003,200 KPW
Quality Assurance EngineerEngineering2,197,700 KPW
Rail EngineerEngineering2,038,500 KPW
Regional Field EngineerEngineering2,362,300 KPW
Robotics EngineerEngineering2,389,200 KPW
Robotics TechnicianEngineering1,751,700 KPW
Safety EngineerEngineering2,052,200 KPW
Safety InspectorEngineering1,583,700 KPW
Safety ManagerEngineering2,423,000 KPW
Safety OfficerEngineering1,114,700 KPW
Sales EngineerEngineering2,374,400 KPW
Scheduling EngineerEngineering1,942,700 KPW
Service EngineerEngineering2,173,000 KPW
Solar EngineerEngineering2,304,300 KPW
Staff EngineerEngineering2,100,900 KPW
Static Equipment EngineerEngineering2,076,600 KPW
Stationary EngineerEngineering1,980,600 KPW
Stress EngineerEngineering1,930,500 KPW
Structural Analysis EngineerEngineering2,065,400 KPW
Structural DesignerEngineering1,870,400 KPW
Structural EngineerEngineering2,100,900 KPW
Structural TechnicianEngineering1,391,600 KPW
Supply Chain SpecialistEngineering2,052,200 KPW
SurveyorEngineering1,537,500 KPW
Technical Affairs OfficerEngineering1,062,500 KPW
Technical AssistantEngineering1,102,100 KPW
Technical Support EngineerEngineering1,751,700 KPW
Tender EngineerEngineering1,967,000 KPW
Test Development EngineerEngineering2,015,600 KPW
Test EngineerEngineering2,065,400 KPW
Transportation EngineerEngineering1,980,600 KPW
Validation EngineerEngineering1,967,000 KPW
Verification EngineerEngineering1,930,500 KPW
Wastewater EngineerEngineering2,197,700 KPW
Wind Energy EngineerEngineering2,242,500 KPW
Wind Energy Operations ManagerEngineering2,688,800 KPW
Work PlannerEngineering1,464,200 KPW

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