Quick answer: Korean job titles run from sawon (staff) through daeri, gwajang, chajang and bujang, then into executive ranks like sangmu, jeonmu, busajang and sajang. A title (jikgeup) shows rank, while a role like timjang (team leader) shows responsibility, and the two don’t always match. Big groups like Samsung and Hyundai have simplified their systems, so ask how your company maps titles before you compare offers.
Your interviewer’s card says “Deputy General Manager,” your future boss is “Bujang-nim,” and the person running your team isn’t the most senior person in the room. Once you see the logic, it clicks.
Key takeaways
- Korean job titles describe rank. Team leader describes a role. They are separate.
- U.S. equivalents are loose, and “Manager” on a Korean business card may not mean people management.
- Samsung, SK, Hyundai, and several LG affiliates have flattened their ladders since 2016.
- When in doubt, use a Korean colleague’s English name or follow how teammates address them.
- Your title at a U.S. subsidiary is negotiable in a way your Korean title would not be.
The Korean job titles ladder
Here is the ladder you will see on business cards and org charts. English versions vary by company, so treat these as common translations, not rules.
| Korean | Romanized | Common English on cards | Loose U.S. level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 사원 | Sawon | Staff, Associate | Entry level |
| 주임 | Juim | Senior Staff, Associate | Early career (used at some companies only) |
| 대리 | Daeri | Assistant Manager | Experienced individual contributor |
| 과장 | Gwajang | Manager | Senior individual contributor or first-line lead |
| 차장 | Chajang | Deputy General Manager, Senior Manager | Senior manager |
| 부장 | Bujang | General Manager | Senior manager to director |
| 이사 | Isa | Director | Director or junior executive |
| 상무 | Sangmu | Managing Director, Vice President | Vice president |
| 전무 | Jeonmu | Senior or Executive Vice President | Senior vice president |
| 부사장 | Busajang | Executive Vice President | Executive vice president |
| 사장 | Sajang | President | President or CEO of a unit |
Why “Manager” can mislead you: people traditionally moved up largely by years of service, so a gwajang translated as “Manager” may have no direct reports at all. Don’t judge seniority by the English word alone. For the bigger picture of how Korean offices work, see the Korean work culture guide.
Rank vs. role: jikgeup and jikchaek
This is the most useful idea for reading Korean job titles. Companies separate two things:
- 직급 (jikgeup), rank: your level on the ladder, like daeri or bujang.
- 직책 (jikchaek), role: the position you hold, like 팀장 (timjang, team leader), 파트장 (parteujang, part leader), 실장 (siljang, office head) or 본부장 (bonbujang, division head).
Usually they line up, but not always. A chajang can lead a team while a bujang on that same team does not. When both apply, people use the role title, so a bujang by rank may be called “Timjang-nim” every day.
The practical lesson: the person who approves your work is the one with the role, even if someone else has the higher rank.
Titles rarely cause the problem. Base pay does. In practice, American employees at Korean companies don’t use the Korean ranks at all. They go by the English title, and that works fine.
Where I’ve seen friction is the offer itself: the title matches what the candidate expected, but the base salary comes in below their target. Closing that gap with the hiring company took time and several rounds of back-and-forth.
When an offer arrives, check the base against the market for that title first. If it’s low, raise it once, politely, with numbers, and expect the answer to take longer than it would at a U.S. company.
How Samsung and Hyundai flattened their titles
Several large groups have simplified their ladders to reward performance over tenure. Two publicly reported examples:
- Samsung Electronics: replaced its seven-step staff ladder with four career levels (CL1 to CL4) starting in 2017, and encouraged colleagues to use “nim” after names instead of rank titles, Korea JoongAng Daily reported. In late 2021 it dropped minimum years-in-rank for promotion, merged two executive levels into one vice president level, and promoted “pro” as an honorific, according to KED Global.
- Hyundai Motor Group: in 2019 it cut its executive ladder below president to four levels (sajang, busajang, jeonmu, sangmu), removing the isa levels, as Business Watch reported (in Korean).
The catch: even in flat systems, people still know and quietly use the old titles, especially with older colleagues or partner companies. You may see “Pro Kim” in one email and “Kim Bujang-nim” in the next.
How to address people at a U.S. subsidiary
In Korean, the polite form is surname plus title plus “nim,” like “Park Gwajang-nim.” At a U.S. subsidiary you usually don’t need it. Many Korean employees use English names or are fine with first names in English.
- Follow what your teammates do. If everyone says “Mr. Lee,” do the same.
- If unsure, ask once: “How would you like me to address you?”
- Speaking Korean? Use title plus nim with seniors unless they invite otherwise.
- In a thank-you email after an interview, “Mr.” or “Ms.” plus last name is a safe default.
Most subsidiaries give local hires American titles like Specialist, Manager or Director, while expats keep their Korean rank internally. That’s why two systems can sit in one office, and why the reporting line tells you more than the title. I cover panel etiquette, including how to treat the most senior person in the room, in how to pass a Korean company interview.
What it means for your offer
Your own title shapes your pay band, your visibility with HQ, and how future employers read your resume.
- Ask where the role sits. “What level is this position, and who does it report to?”
- Ask about the band. Many subsidiaries tie salary ranges to grades, so the grade tells you where you can negotiate.
- Negotiate title and pay separately. If budget is fixed, a stronger title (Senior Engineer instead of Engineer) can be easier to approve than more money.
- Keep it polite. Approvals may go through several layers, including HQ.
I cover the scripts and timing in how to negotiate salary at a Korean company. Prepping for an interview where these titles come up? Get the free Korean Company Interview Playbook.
FAQ
What is the difference between bujang and timjang?
Bujang is a rank, usually the top staff level before executives. Timjang means team leader, which is a role. A bujang often leads a team, but a chajang or gwajang can too.
Do Korean job titles matter if I am a local U.S. hire?
Your own title will probably be American-style. Knowing the Korean ones helps you read org charts, see who decides, and work well with expat leaders and HQ.
Should I call my Korean boss by their title?
Follow the team’s lead. In English, most U.S. subsidiaries use first names or Mr. and Ms. In Korean, title plus nim is the polite choice.
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