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Lawmakers Receive 4.39 Million Won in Holiday Bonuses, Paid at Lunar New Year and Chuseok

Ahead of this year's Lunar New Year holidays, it has been confirmed that each member of the National Assembly will receive what is commonly called a "holiday bonus" of 4,396,560 won.

According to political circles on the 17th, the holiday allowance set as a bonus for members of the National Assembly totals 8,793,120 won. It is calculated in the same way as the allowance for ordinary public officials, which is "60% of the monthly salary," and is paid in two installments for Lunar New Year and Chuseok.

Behind the National Assembly building in Yeouido, Seoul, the buildings of the securities and financial districts are brightly lit. Photo by Jo Yongjun

Last year, as the annual salary of members of the National Assembly was frozen at 156.9 million won, the total holiday allowance for the year amounted to only about 8.5 million won. This year, the annual salary has risen to 160.93 million won, an increase of 4.03 million won from 2024 and 2025, and the holiday allowance has also increased by around 300,000 won.

There are also voices saying that the scale of the holiday bonuses for members of the National Assembly is out of touch with public sentiment. According to the "2026 Lunar New Year Fund Demand Survey for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises" conducted by the Korea Federation of SMEs on 819 SMEs over seven days from January 19 to 27 last month, the average bonus per person is 593,000 won (based on a fixed-amount payment). Four out of ten SMEs do not pay any bonuses at all, citing reasons such as deteriorating business conditions.

There are also lawmakers who have drawn attention by donating their holiday allowance every year. Kim Mi-ae, a lawmaker of the People Power Party, donated her Chuseok bonus last year and wrote on her social networking service (SNS), "Last year as well, I posted on Facebook about the discomfort I felt when I received the holiday cash gift, and many people shared my feelings and raised issues with it."