🇰🇷 South Korea · Certified Public Accountant
From KRW 72M / yr (≈$50K USD) by industry
Mean salary — KRW 72M / yr (≈$50K USD).
KRW 72M / yr (≈$50K USD)
💰 Pay spread — by industry / specialty
The mean is the headline; the spread is what matters.
200,000,000 KRW
Accounting firm partner
10~15-yr partner
🟢 Tier 1 — KOSIS Wage Structure Basic Statistics Survey 2023
95,000,000 KRW
Audit senior
5~10 yr
🟢 Tier 1 — KOSIS Wage Structure Basic Statistics Survey 2023
110,000,000 KRW
FAS / Advisory
M&A advisory etc.
🟢 Tier 1 — KOSIS Wage Structure Basic Statistics Survey 2023
130,000,000 KRW
Corporate CFO track
Large-corp finance
🟢 Tier 1 — KOSIS Wage Structure Basic Statistics Survey 2023
🗺️ The path — stage by stage
- 1. Bachelor + CPA prep (4~6 yr) — Major-agnostic, accounting coursework
- 2. Pass CPA exam (— yr) — Stage 1 + Stage 2
- 3. Firm traineeship (2~3 yr) — Big 4 preferred
- 4. Senior / Manager (— yr) — Audit / advisory track
📝 Licensing exam
Korean CPA Exam
MCQ + essay. Accounting / tax / business etc.
🩺 Apprenticeship / Residency
Traineeship (firm, 2~3 yr)
Big 4 traineeship (Samil / Samjong / Anjin / Hanyoung).
💵 Specialties — same title, different number
| Specialty / Industry | Mean / yr | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting firm partner | 200,000,000 KRW | 10~15-yr partner |
| Audit senior | 95,000,000 KRW | 5~10 yr |
| FAS / Advisory | 110,000,000 KRW | M&A advisory etc. |
| Corporate CFO track | 130,000,000 KRW | Large-corp finance |
| Tax accountant / solo | 80,000,000 KRW | Tax advisory |
🏢 Employer types — base vs total comp
Big 4 accounting firms
Base + bonus, partner track
In-house (large corp)
Stability + work-life balance
Solo / tax accountant
Variable income
📈 Income across years
Trainee — Year 1
55,000,000 KRW
1 yr
Senior — 5 yr
85,000,000 KRW
5 yr
Manager
120,000,000 KRW
10 yr
Partner
200,000,000 KRW
15+ yr
📚 Go deeper
Four sub-pages — gift, vision, path, history.