It was revealed that labor costs incurred by the Presidential Office and the Presidential Security Service last year exceeded 100 billion won, the highest in 10 years.
According to data submitted by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance on the 26th by Cha Kyu-geun, a member of the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, the actual expenditures on labor costs of the Yongsan Presidential Office and the Presidential Security Service were estimated to amount to 100.754 billion won in 2023. This is an increase of about 51% compared with 66.565 billion won in 2014, and an increase of about 6.8% compared with 2022, the first year of President Yoon Seok-yeol’s inauguration.
The “operating budget,” which includes labor costs, product costs, transfer expenses and asset acquisition, was about 210.749 billion won last year, the highest in the past 10 years. Rep. Cha analyzed that it rose by about 35 percent compared with 2014, when it was around 155.9 billion won, and by about 12 percent compared with 2022, when it moved to Yongsan.
Rep. Cha said, “Contrary to the promise to downsize the organization and reorganize it into a strategic organization, the Yongsan Presidential Office has been shown to be bloated,” adding, “Like the Second Annex Office and the Office of the High Representative, the Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs will be reactivated this year and operating costs are expected to rise further.”
Reporter Choi Ye-seul smarty@kmib.co.kr
