Gift boxes for Chuseok are piled up in the lobby of the National Assembly. (Yonhap)
Gift boxes for Chuseok are piled up in the lobby of the National Assembly. (Yonhap)

A South Korean lawmaker has apologized for receiving a Chuseok holiday bonus of more than 4 million won ($2,900), far exceeding what most ordinary workers were paid.

Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the People Power Party wrote on Facebook that she felt “heavy-hearted and deeply sorry” for the 4.24 million won of taxpayers' money being paid to each member of the nation's 300-strong parliament as a holiday bonus.

“Last year, I expressed my discomfort on Facebook about receiving incentives and many people empathized and raised the issue,” Rep. Kim said. “Since becoming a lawmaker, I have seen the dismal reality of dozens of small-business owners taking their own lives during the pandemic. It has felt uncomfortable to pocket taxpayer money, so I naturally began contributing part of it.”

She added, “Politics is responsibility and conscience. When more lawmakers reduce filling their own pockets and share with struggling neighbors, the National Assembly and Korean politics will change.”

Lawmakers receive incentives twice a year, for the Lunar New Year, or Seollal, and Chuseok, equal to 60 percent of their monthly salary under guidelines for public officials. Lawmakers’ annual salary this year is about 157 million won.

A recent survey of 950 companies by recruitment platform Saramin found that 56.9 percent planned to provide holiday incentives this Chuseok, with an average payment of 628,000 won per employee.


shinjh@heraldcorp.com