Cross-country comparison
GEN-5 (South Korea) vs GS-12 (United States)
South Korea · 공무원보수규정 별표 (11 salary schedules)
GEN-5
일반직 (5급) — General civil service (일반직) — grades 1-9 from Vice-Minister to entry-level clerk.
₩34,756,800 – ₩67,406,400
FY 2026 · annual base · KRW
View full GEN-5 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-5 in the South Korea federal civil service earns between ₩34,756,800 and ₩67,406,400 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.