South Korean President's annual salary set at $202,815

Seoul, Dec 28: The annual salary of South Korean President Moon Jae-in for 2022 was set at 240.6 million won ($202,815) as the Cabinet approved the personnel and management ministry's pay raise plan for public servants on Tuesday.

According to the plan, public servants will get a 1.4 per cent raise for their salary for 2022.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum will get an annual salary of 186.5 million won, while deputy prime ministers and chief state auditor will receive 141.1 million won next year, reports Yonhap News Agency.

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, the government said high-ranking officials and political service servants, including the President and the Prime Minister, will return the increased amount of their salaries to share the burden with people suffering from the Covid-19 pandemic, meaning they will receive the same wages they received in 2021.

For public servants, the government gave a 3.5 per cent pay raise for 2017, followed by 2.6 per cent for 2018, 1.8 per cent for 2019, 2.8 per cent for 2020 and 0.9 per cent for 2021.

Meanwhile, the monthly wage for soldiers was raised 11.1 per cent, which 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.