A soldier’s pay
wulijohyunjae | June 5, 2010 | 7:00 am
The following article was published in the Korean newspaper Joong Ang Daily on June 3, 2010. We have translated from their Chinese version on http://cn.joins.com/big5. The statistics are quite startling (to us, anyway) and are provided here for your information. 100,000 Korean won = US$84 (approx. – at today’s exchange rate.) You can do the math yourself.
Although it is normal to spend within your income, it seems this is not the case with Korean soldiers. They spend more than they earn. They have to pay for even the caps they wear.
According to “Statistical Office and Civil Service pay provisions” released on June 2, the monthly salaries for Korean soldiers this year are: Sergeant – 97,500 won, Corporal – 88,000 won, Private First Class – 79,500 won, Private Second Class – 73,500 won. From 2000 to 2003 soldiers’ salaries were upgraded to “civil servants improved” level, and then were raised again to protect the military under the long-term plan of minimum cost of living. The improvement rate in 2004 was 47%. After that, a significant upgrade of 30% in 2005, 40% in 2006, 23% in 2007, and so on.
But compared to salaries, soldiers are spending more. According to Defense Department statistics, a soldier’s average monthly expenditure amounts to 110,998 won. The Air Force’s expenses rank among the highest - up to 124,017 won, the Navy – 120,223, the Army – 106,801 won, the Marine Corps – 100,815 won. From the point of rank, Sergeant spends most – up to 126,097 won, Corporal – 125,214 won, Private First Class – 104,403 won, Private Second Class – 84,478 won.
From the point of use, going out on leave costs 43,762 won, snacks – 19,351 won, daily necessities – 6,658 won, laundry – 2,890 won, training fees – 2,111 won.
(Credit: http://cn.joins.com/big5; JHJ cartoon from www.johyunjae.hk. Thanks!)
I think maybe you left a zero out on the monthly salary? No way a person can live on less then US $100 per month. Not even in Korea …
No, usa4jhj, the figures are accurate. That’s why we said we were shocked. Not a livable wage by western standards, but that’s the reality in the Korean military. But don’t forget the soldiers receive free board and lodging, and they don’t really have much time to spend money during their military service. We just don’t know how they support their family.
Being a soldier is not an ordinary job. It is your duty to your country (in countries where military service is mandatory), and you are expected to make sacrifices when you are serving your country.
We just looked up on the web the pay for American soldiers – “2010 Military Pay Scale Chart (Monthly Basic Pay Table – effective Jan.1, 2010):
Lowest: US$1,447 (for soldiers with cumulative service of 2 or fewer years)
Highest: US$16,132 (more than 26 years)
But the comparison is unrealistic and therefore meaningless — just give you some idea.
Does anyone know anything about the military pay scales of other Asian countries? Perhaps you have a husband, a brother, a son who has done his MS?
Now I know why CAFE and EVER are always sending JHJ and his fellow soldiers those snacks (cookies and chips, etc.) and even tissue paper! Makes me appreciate their TLC all the more.
i guess a soldier can live on that since most everything else is provided by the government. I wonder if the family gets some kind of support when the main provider is serving in the military.
FYI – We’ve just obtained the following figures re 2009 military pay scale in Taiwan (in Taiwan $ : 10,000TWD = 308USD)
Private Second Class – 5,890 per month
Private First Class – 6,435
Corporal – 10,780
2nd Lieutenant – 15,545
These are the basic salaries; they have lots of allowances, e.g. for posting to outlying islands.
No wonder most SK actors opt to join the entertainment unit rather than be a regular soldier! For that kind of pay it is indeed a great sacrifice for an actor to be a regular soldier in the SK army. At least those who are in the entertainment unit get to market themselves for free, their military duties are a lot lighter than regular soldiers, and they are still visible to the public’s eye.
This info just brings home how much of a sacrifice JHJ has made when he decided to be a regular soldier for the entire 22 months of his mandatory MS.
I heard that the pay scale of general office workers in Korea is rather high, why the soldier’s pay is unbelievably low? It’s unreasonable.
Btw, I love the JHJ the soldier cartoon!
Korea has a high porportion of soldiers (400 thousands soldiers out of 40 million Koreans).
I just wonder how the families of the soldiers support themselves. In Korea, men are always the only bread earners. Few women go to work.
I have to thank Cafe and Ever. They love JHJ very much and make the military life of JHJ much easier.
FYI — the following is from the web (2008 statistics):
Out of a population of nearly 50m, S. Korea has 687,000 active military personnel and 4.5m active military reserve. (Would JHJ be considered “active military reserve” after his discharge?)
This compares with N. Korea’s 1.2m armed personnel and 7m reserve.