Korean Job Hierarchy

Unlike the companies in the west, organizations in Korea follow strict hierarchical structures wherein the job roles and promotions are based on experience, years of service and the educational qualifications.  The problem of nepotism plays a big role in Korea Job hierarchy wherein those who work regularly work their way up the ladder by adding years of service whereas those who are new to the country but have many years of experience may still be working at entry level positions. If you wish to understand the job hierarchy in Korean companies, then the following given information will prove to be of a lot of use to you.

Korean Job hierarchy

HuiJang (Chairman / CEO)

The Chairman or CEO is the highest position holder in Korean companies and is the one who hardly makes an appearance in front of other employees. He is the main decision maker and financial shareholder in the company.

SaJang (President / COO)

The President or COO is the right man to the CEO and is one who is the head of a particular business division in the company.

JeonMoo (Executive Vice President / CFO)

The CFO is the individual who heads the finance department of the company and takes major decisions relate to the finances or investment planning of the company.

SangMoo (Vice President)

Sangmoo is a title which is given to the senior directors who are also the heads of departments but have much more experience than the director of the organization.

EeSsa (Director) 

The director of a Korean company is the one who can be considered as the younger department head. This individual takes important department related decisions.

SooSeok BooJang (Department Head)

After the position of the director comes the position of the department head who is in charge of the operations of the assigned department. He handles recruitments, supervises managers and is responsible for the performance of that department.

BooJang (Team Leader / Head Manager / Senior Manager)

The senior manager is also referred to as the head manager and comes at the same level as the team leader. He/she is the one who manages the teams or groups of people responsible for working on a certain current project.  To become a senior manager, one needs to have a 10 year of experience.

ChaJag (Deputy Team Leader / Senior Manager)

The deputy team leader is one who makes sure that all members of the team are given their particular roles to perform.

KwaJang (Manager)

A manager must have 7 years of experience within the industry and is responsible for managing the team members while working on projects. They are the project leaders.

DaeRi (Assistant Manager)

Assistant managers come below the managers and assist them while working on projects. They perform basic tasks of administrative and provide the needed support for day to day workings.

Sawn (Regular Staff / ~ Assistant / Officer) 

The officers or regular staff members are those who work within teams headed by managers or team leaders. They are at a position slightly higher than entry level executives.

Shinip Sawon (New Graduate Employee)

These are those employees who have just joined and are freshly graduated from their studies.