Highest salary for Korean doctor stands at 600 million won

A medical worker walks at Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea, on Sunday. By Hyojin Jung

Among 113 medical institutions nationwide, the highest average annual salary per doctor is 400 million won, while the highest salary among doctors is 600 million won, according to a survey. Labor costs were higher in rural hospitals and public and small hospitals, which are difficult to find doctors.

The Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union (KHMU) announced on June 18 the current status of doctors’ wages surveyed from 113 medical institutions with union members in April and May. The highest average salary per doctor was 400 million won at a public hospital in the Yeongnam region. It was followed by a local medical center in Gyeonggi Province and a rehabilitation hospital in Honam region with an average salary of 390 million won per doctor. All the first to eighth places in the ranking were hospitals in Yeongnam, Honam, and Gyeonggi regions.

The highest paid physician was a doctor at a special purpose public hospital in the Yeongnam region, who earned around 600 million won. This was followed by doctors who earned 594.78 million won and 532 million won, respectively, at local medical centers in Chungcheong and Gyeonggi Provinces.

On the other hand, the average annual salary per specialist at large hospitals, including national and private hospitals, was between 150 million and 200 million won, and the highest was 400 million won. This excludes overtime, night and holiday working allowance and a stipend for unused annual leave.

The survey found that doctors in rural hospitals and small and medium-sized hospitals were paid more. This may reflect the difficulty of finding doctors in these hospitals.

The highest proportion of doctors’ labor costs to the total labor costs of hospitals was at a private small and medium-sized hospital in Yeongnam region, accounting for 40 percent. It was followed by another private small and medium-sized hospital in Yeongnam region (37.8 percent), a private university hospital in Seoul (37 percent), and a private small and medium-sized hospital in Gyeonggi Province (36.9 percent).

The union said that excessively high doctors’ wages were the main cause of hospitals’ financial difficulties.

"Doctors, who are the highest earners, are highly criticized for opposing the increase of medical school admissions and for refusing to treat patients, claiming that there is no shortage of doctors," the union said. "Doctors' organizations should not turn a blind eye to the reality that local and public hospitals are closing down essential medical departments due to a shortage of doctors and difficulty in recruiting, and are facing a serious management crisis due to soaring doctors’ labor costs."

According to data submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to the Seoul High Court in May, the average annual salary of doctors in Korea in 2022, excluding trainee doctors, was 301 million won. This was more than five times that of other health care workers.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.