South Korean President, Moon Jae-in and high-ranking government officials have disclosed plan to contribute 30 percent of their monthly salary fot the next four months to help fund efforts to combat COVID-19.
This was disclosed in a statement on Thursday March 26th, 2020.
It was stated that Cabinet members and heads of government agencies decided to do this during an emergency workshop presided over by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun at the Government Complex.
It was jointly agreed that salary will be returned to the state coffers, and the finance ministry will use the money for quarantine efforts and support for people financially hit by the pandemic.
“They agreed on the partial salary return to share pain with the people,” the statement reads
Hours after the plan was made public, South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyoung-soo said he would join the move.
“I’ll join it if it can be even a little bit of help in overcoming the economic crisis caused by COVID-19,” Kim said on Facebook.
“I’ve been thinking of many ways to help the local economy, but I couldn’t carry them out as they would be in violation of the Election Law. I’ll return my salary to the state coffers so the money can be used in efforts to combat COVID-19,” he added.
The public response to the move has been generally positive, with many internet users saying it was desirable for ranking officials show their willingness to share the hardship of the people.
“If any political party has its members return at least 30 percent of their salary, I’ll cast my vote for it in the April general election,” a blogger wrote on the Daim portal.
