Cross-country comparison
GEN-1 (South Korea) vs GS-12 (United States)
South Korea · 공무원보수규정 별표 (11 salary schedules)
GEN-1
일반직 (1급) — General civil service (일반직) — grades 1-9 from Vice-Minister to entry-level clerk.
₩55,873,200 – ₩96,016,800
FY 2026 · annual base · KRW
View full GEN-1 detail →United States · General Schedule (GS)
GS-12
Senior specialist and first-line supervisor level. Most common grade for experienced federal professionals.
$76,463 – $99,404
FY 2026 · annual base · USD
View full GS-12 detail →How they compare
A GEN-1 in the South Korea federal civil service earns between ₩55,873,200 and ₩96,016,800 per year at base rates, while a GS-12 in the United States federal civil service earns between $76,463 and $99,404. Both figures are annual base in each country’s currency, before locality adjustments, allowances, or bonuses.
Responsibilities at these grades are not directly comparable — each country’s civil service uses its own classification framework. See the linked authoritative sources for role scoping.