Seoul (South Korea), December 28: The annual salary of South Korea's president was set at 240.6 million won (US$202,815) for 2022 as the Cabinet approved the personnel and management ministry's pay raise plan for public servants Tuesday.
According to the plan, public servants will get a 1.4 percent raise for their salary for 2022. The new salary will be applied to current President Moon Jae-in, whose term ends in May, and his successor to be elected in the March 9 election.
The prime minister will get an annual salary of 186.5 million won in 2022, while deputy prime ministers and chief state auditor will receive 141.1 million won next year. The annual salary of ministers was set at 137.1 million won, while that of vice minister level officials was set at 133.2 million won.
Despite the raise, high-ranking officials and political service servants, including the president and the prime minister, will return the increased amount of their salaries in a gesture to share the burden with people suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic, the government said.
That means they will get almost the same wages they received in 2021.
For public servants, the government gave a 3.5 percent pay raise for 2017, followed by 2.6 percent for 2018, 1.8 percent for 2019, 2.8 percent for 2020 and 0.9 percent for 2021.
Meanwhile, the monthly wage for soldiers was raised 11.1 percent. This means an Army sergeant will make 676,100 won per month.
The government also decided to double the medical service allowance for public officials caring for COVID-19 patients at national hospitals and institutions from 50,000 won to 100,000 won per month.
Source: Yonhap
