🇰🇷 South Korea · Airline Pilot
From KRW 144M / yr (≈$99K USD) by industry
Mean salary — KRW 144M / yr (≈$99K USD).
KRW 144M / yr (≈$99K USD)
💰 Pay spread — by industry / specialty
The mean is the headline; the spread is what matters.
220,000,000 KRW
Captain (Wide-body International)
Type/route premium
🟢 Tier 1 — KOSIS Wage Structure Basic Statistics Survey 2023
170,000,000 KRW
Captain (Narrow-body / Short-haul)
Domestic + Short-haul international
🟢 Tier 1 — KOSIS Wage Structure Basic Statistics Survey 2023
110,000,000 KRW
First Officer (FO)
Pre-upgrade track
🟢 Tier 1 — KOSIS Wage Structure Basic Statistics Survey 2023
130,000,000 KRW
Flight Instructor
Training Center
🟢 Tier 1 — KOSIS Wage Structure Basic Statistics Survey 2023
🗺️ The path — stage by stage
- 1. License + flight hours (PPL→CPL→ATPL) (3~5 yr) — Flight academy + accumulated flight hours
- 2. Airline entry (cadet) (1~2 yr) — Type-rating qualification
- 3. First Officer (FO) (5~10 yr) — 5,000 flight hours recommended
- 4. Captain upgrade exam (— yr) — Type/route qualification
- 5. Captain (Capt) (— yr) — Senior Captain / Instructor track
📝 Licensing exam
ATPL (Airline Transport Pilot License)
PPL → CPL → ATPL. 1,500 flight hours + English proficiency (ICAO Level 4).
🏛️ Top schools
| School | Location | Notable |
|---|---|---|
| Korea Aerospace University — Aeronautical Science | Goyang, Gyeonggi | Top aviation program in Korea |
| Hanseo University — Aeronautical Science | Taean, Chungcheongnam | Strong flight-training infrastructure |
| Korea Air Force Academy | Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk | Air Force fighter pilots → civil aviation transition |
🟠 Tier 3 — context only
💵 Specialties — same title, different number
| Specialty / Industry | Mean / yr | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Captain (Wide-body International) | 220,000,000 KRW | Type/route premium |
| Captain (Narrow-body / Short-haul) | 170,000,000 KRW | Domestic + Short-haul international |
| First Officer (FO) | 110,000,000 KRW | Pre-upgrade track |
| Flight Instructor | 130,000,000 KRW | Training Center |
🏢 Employer types — base vs total comp
FSC (Korean Air / Asiana)
Base salary + flight-hour allowance + route premium
LCC (Jeju Air / T'way / Jin Air)
~80–90% of FSC base
Foreign carriers (Singapore / Qatar)
USD/SGD base, tax benefits
📈 Income across years
Cadet / FO entry
70,000,000 KRW
0~3 yr
First Officer (FO) — 5 yr
110,000,000 KRW
5~8 yr
Captain upgrade
170,000,000 KRW
10~12 yr
Senior Captain / Instructor
220,000,000 KRW
15+ yr
📚 Go deeper
Four sub-pages — gift, vision, path, history.