South Korean President Gets Salary Raise Despite Impeachment

According to The Korea Times, citing information from the Seoul government on January 12, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol continued to receive his salary as usual while facing impeachment, the president said.

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol

According to South Korea's Ministry of Personnel Management, the salaries of civil servants will increase by 3% this year compared to last year, and this increase also applies to the salary of the South Korean president.

Although President Yoon Suk Yeol was temporarily suspended from office during his impeachment proceedings starting in mid-December last year, he continued to receive his salary as usual.

Therefore, Mr. Yoon will receive a salary increase of approximately 7.5 million won, bringing his total to 262.5 million won (over 4.5 billion VND) this year. Last year, his salary was 254.9 million won. This means he will receive 21.8 million won per month (over 376 million VND) before tax.

For the next six months, Mr. Yoon will receive a salary of approximately 130 million won while being impeached by the Constitutional Court, even though he has not performed any duties as president.

Similarly, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was also suspended from office pending impeachment, will continue to receive his salary of 235.5 million won in 2025.

The South Korean president's security chief refused to comply with an arrest warrant.

The South Korean National Assembly voted to impeach Yoon on December 14, 2024, because the leader declared martial law on December 3 of the same year.

Article 38 of the Korean Constitutional Court Act stipulates that a ruling will be made within 180 days of the court receiving the case, but this is not a legally binding deadline.

Some argue that presidents and prime ministers under impeachment should not be paid to avoid violating the "no work, no pay" principle. However, this is legally unclear as there are currently no regulations prohibiting the payment of salaries to impeached officials.

If found guilty by the Constitutional Court, Yoon Suk Yeol will be removed from office.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tong-thong-han-quoc-duoc-tang-luong-du-bi-luan-toi-185250112191658239.htm