National Election Commission in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. [Photo = Yonhap News]

It has been found that the activity fees and allowances received by National Election Commissioners (non-standing honorary positions) exceed 2 million won per month.

Seoul Shinmun reported on the 10th, "Due to the secrecy of the Election Commission, the public cannot verify whether they attend work or access meeting minutes, yet the monthly allowances are paid consistently."

According to the National Election Commission Act, the 8 non-standing commissioners, including the chairman, among the current 9 commissioners, are not allowed to receive salaries from the Election Commission. Instead, they are paid daily and actual expenses for performing certain duties, such as election-related tasks.

The Chairman of the National Election Commission receives 2.9 million won per month under the name of "Public Election Promotion Activity Allowance," and 150,000 won each time they attend a meeting as an attendance allowance. Additionally, an allowance of 100,000 won is paid for each agenda item reviewed. This amounts to at least 37.8 million won annually. The National Election Commissioners receive 2.15 million won per month for the "Public Election Promotion Activity Allowance," which is 750,000 won less than the chairman.

The report quoted an official from the Election Commission as saying, "As a principle, regular monthly meetings are held once a month, except for special circumstances such as during election periods."

The Board of Audit and Inspection has requested corrective action five times from 2019 to 2023 regarding the practice of paying monthly fixed allowances to the National Election Commission, stating that there is no legal basis for it.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance has also advised all government ministries through its detailed guidelines for budget preparation and fund management plans to refrain from calculating monthly attendance fees for non-standing members.

According to the report, the National Election Commission temporarily suspended the payment of the "Public Election Promotion Activity Allowance" from January 2023. However, it resumed payments after the National Election Commission Act was amended in 2024 to include provisions allowing for the payment of allowances "within the budget scope."

Some argue that it is inappropriate to pay monthly fixed allowances when the activities of non-standing commissioners are not transparently disclosed.

Han Sang-hee, Emeritus Professor at Konkuk University Law School, pointed out, "There is a lack of knowledge and understanding regarding election management," and stated, "It is necessary to create an open governance system within the Election Commission, along with an audit body."

Netizens left comments such as, "Is President Yoon's action correct? Martial law was the only way to check the omnipotent Election Commission," "There is a need to thoroughly investigate the Election Commission's servers, etc.," and "The Election Commission should be dissolved and the system reset."

Reporter Lim Yo-hee