Lawmakers rapped for jacking up own salaries

By Lee Tae-hoon Netizens are taking collective action to address the “brazen act” by lawmakers of increasing their salary by about 20 percent. The move came a day after Rep. Lee Hahn-koo, floor leader of the ruling Saenuri Party, revealed that there has been a hike in lawmakers’ pay. In 2010, then National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae proposed a pay hike, which was accepted by Reps. Kim Moo-sung and Park Jie-won, floor leaders of the ruling and the main opposition Democratic United Party, respectively. “Lawmakers of the 19th National Assembly are receiving 20 percent more in salary compared to those of the 19th Assembly,” he said in a meeting of senior party members. “We will be likely pressured to return our pay checks if we fail to do our job properly during the regular parliamentary session.” As of Wednesday afternoon, some 2,000 people signed up for an online petition that urges the public to voice concerns over lawmakers’ serving their own interests rather than those of the people in Daum’s Agora forum. Nearly 200 netizens left comments on the forum, many of which denounce the hypocritical behavior of parliamentary members and their failure to live up to a pledge to give up their privileges granted to them as lawmakers. “As always, lawmakers remain preoccupied by their own interests,” said a netizen with the ID “flying bird.” Another netizen pointed out that excessive authorities bestowed to lawmakers are allowing them to exploit tax payers’ money for their own benefits. “A new measure should be introduced to prevent lawmakers from handling legislation concerning their own interests,” said the netizen with the ID “River, Mountain and Ocean.” A different netizen lamented that he is puzzled by reluctance from legislators to hike the country’s minimum wage, which is currently 4,320 won ($3.9) per hour, while secretly raising their pay by two digits. “I demand to hike the minimum wage by 20 percent,” the netizen said. The majority of Saenuri lawmakers gave up their June salary after the leadership of the conservative party decided to lay down the "no-work, no-pay" principle, as a part of reform measures. An official of the National Assembly Secretariat says this year’s annual salary of lawmakers will be 147.4 million won, up 24 percent compared to 118.44 million won in 2010. The official noted that it will cost at least 638.6 million won of tax payers’ money each year to keep a lawmaker this year. “Lawmakers are allowed keep nine staff members, including two interns, to whom the government pays 393.1 million won per year,” he said. “On top of it, the government hands out 98.2 million won to each lawmaker in subsidies to assist their legislative activities, including 17.5 million won set aside for the running of a luxury car.” A civic group, Citizens United for Better Society (CUBS), expressed their disappointment over the pay hike, saying “the country has sent the fox to keep the geese.” “We find it lamentable that the lawmakers pledge for reform was a political show,” CUBS said in a statement. Apart from the paycheck, lawmakers are allowed to collect campaign funds of up to 150 million won per year that they can use to support legislative activities and other expenses required for running their office. Lawmakers can collect up to 30 million won of campaign funds during an election year.

leeth@koreatimes.co.kr