"Elected Officials Should Be Prohibited from Receiving Salary and Allowances When Detained"

First-term Seo Beom-su, Future United Party Member of the National Assembly, Proposes the First Bill on 'No Work, No Pay for Elected Officials'
Members of the National Assembly, Mayors of Cities and Provinces, Mayors, County Heads, District Heads, Ba

Se Beom-su, member of the United Future Party.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Seo Beom-su, a first-term member of the Future United Party and National Assembly member representing Ulsan Ulju-gun, has introduced his first bill.

On the 9th, Seo proposed his first bill, which includes partial amendments to the "Act on the Allowances of National Assembly Members," the "Local Public Officials Act," and the "Local Autonomy Act" to introduce the "no work, no pay principle" for elected public officials.

Under current law, elected political officials such as National Assembly members, heads of local governments, local council members, and superintendents of education who are detained as criminal suspects or defendants are effectively unable to perform their duties but can still receive all or part of their salaries, allowances, and activity expenses.

Seo explained the purpose of his first bill, saying, "This goes against the no work, no pay principle and does not meet the expectations of voters who demand integrity from elected officials, so there has been significant public opinion calling for reform."

In the case of National Assembly members, they can receive full allowances even during detention, which has continuously drawn criticism for being unfair compared to other types of public officials.

According to the amendment proposed by Seo, new provisions will be added to the three laws?the "Act on the Allowances of National Assembly Members," the "Local Public Officials Act," and the "Local Autonomy Act"?which provide the basis for paying salaries, allowances, and activity expenses to elected officials, to completely prohibit such payments during detention.

However, respecting the constitutional presumption of innocence, the bill includes a supplementary provision that requires payment of unpaid amounts with statutory interest when a detained elected official is finally acquitted, exempted, or the prosecution is dismissed.

Seo stated, "The political awareness of our people is very high, but the political sphere has often failed to meet these expectations," adding, "I will ensure the passage of the no work, no pay package of three bills for elected officials in this regular session of the National Assembly to contribute to creating a political culture that meets the expectations of the people."