Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea’s suspended president, will earn a 3% pay rise despite being impeached by parliament for invoking martial law in December.
According to official reports, the hike brings his total annual salary to 262.6 million won ($179,000; £147,000).
Yoon, who has been suspended from his duties but remains in office pending a constitutional court verdict on his impeachment, justified the proclamation of martial law by citing threats from “anti-state forces” and North Korea.
However, critics argue the move was driven by his domestic political struggles rather than genuine security concerns.
News of Yoon’s pay rise has sparked widespread criticism in South Korea.
Many citizens expressed outrage on social media, with some noting the disparity between Yoon’s salary increase and the country’s minimum wage, which rose by just 1.7%.
“Minimum wage increased by 1.7% while [Yoon gets] 3% for what?” read one popular post on X (formerly Twitter), garnering thousands of likes.
