Former Election Commission chief received $130,000 in allowances over 4 years; commission 'self-raised' pay

Noh Tae-ak, the former chairman of South Korea's National Election Commission (NEC), received a total of 179.1 million won (approximately $130,000) in various allowances over his four-year tenure, despite working in a non-full-time capacity. This revelation comes as Noh resigned following a controversy over ballot shortages during the recent local elections.

According to data submitted by the NEC to lawmaker Kim Min-jeon of the People Power Party, Noh was paid 290,000 won monthly for "fair election promotion activities" from May 2022 until last month. He also received allowances for attending meetings and reviewing agenda items. These payments ranged from a minimum of 550,000 won to a maximum of 6.15 million won per month, regardless of his actual attendance or work hours.

Notably, the NEC controversially paid Noh 2.9 million won per month for "fair election promotion activities" from 2022 without a clear legal basis. The Board of Audit and Inspection pointed out this violation in November 2022, leading the NEC to suspend these payments. Subsequently, the NEC amended its own rules, tripling the allowance for reviewing agenda items from 100,000 won to 300,000 won. This self-initiated increase allowed Noh to receive 5.1 million won solely for agenda reviews in June 2023.

Following the NEC's internal adjustments, the National Assembly later amended the Election Commission Act in January 2024, providing a legal basis for the fixed monthly payment of 2.9 million won for "fair election promotion activities." However, the agenda review allowance was reduced back to 100,000 won from this point onward.

Adding to the controversy, the NEC's own fact-finding committee has recommended referring Noh Tae-ak and 11 other NEC officials for investigation. This recommendation stems from alleged irregularities related to the commission's operations and financial practices.