South Korea’s suspended president Yoon Suk Yeol will receive a 3% salary increase despite being impeached by parliament for declaring martial law in December.
The raise brings his annual pay to 262.6 million won ($179,000; £147,000), according to government announcements.
Yoon, who has been suspended from his duties but remains in office pending a constitutional court ruling on his impeachment, cited threats from “anti-state forces” and North Korea to justify the martial law declaration.
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.