🇰🇷 South Korea · Engineering Manager

From KRW 84M / yr (≈$58K USD) by industry

Mean salary — KRW 84M / yr (≈$58K USD).

KRW 84M / yr (≈$58K USD)
🟢 Tier 1 — BLS OEWS May 2024 annual gross (mean) updated: 2024

💰 Pay spread — by industry / specialty

The mean is the headline; the spread is what matters.

130,000,000 KRW
IT engineering manager (Naver / Kakao)
RSU + performance bonus
🟢 Tier 1 — KOSIS Wage Structure Basic Statistics Survey 2023
110,000,000 KRW
Manufacturing engineering manager (Samsung / SK)
Job-based pay + PI
🟢 Tier 1 — KOSIS Wage Structure Basic Statistics Survey 2023
100,000,000 KRW
Startup CTO / VP Engineering
Equity + base
🟢 Tier 1 — KOSIS Wage Structure Basic Statistics Survey 2023
95,000,000 KRW
Public-sector senior manager
Stability + tenure
🟢 Tier 1 — KOSIS Wage Structure Basic Statistics Survey 2023

🗺️ The path — stage by stage

  1. 1. Engineering bachelor's (CS / EE etc.) (4 yr) — Projects + internships
  2. 2. Entry-level engineer (3~5 yr) — Production code ownership
  3. 3. Senior / Tech Lead (3~5 yr) — Architecture decisions
  4. 4. Engineering Manager (— yr) — Org + reviews

💵 Specialties — same title, different number

Specialty / Industry Mean / yr Notes
IT engineering manager (Naver / Kakao) 130,000,000 KRW RSU + performance bonus
Manufacturing engineering manager (Samsung / SK) 110,000,000 KRW Job-based pay + PI
Startup CTO / VP Engineering 100,000,000 KRW Equity + base
Public-sector senior manager 95,000,000 KRW Stability + tenure

🏢 Employer types — base vs total comp

IT Big Tech

RSU + performance bonus

Large-corp manufacturing

Base + PI/PS

Startup

Equity-heavy + base

📈 Income across years

Entry-level engineer
50,000,000 KRW
0~3 yr
Senior — 5 yr
80,000,000 KRW
5~7 yr
Tech Lead / Manager
110,000,000 KRW
7~12 yr
Director / VP
160,000,000 KRW
12+ yr

🌍 Same job, other countries

PPP-adjusted comparison across 6 countries — the ARBITORIA difference.