South Korea’s National Assembly members collected 4,396,560 won each in holiday stipends for the Chuseok holiday, totaling 8,793,120 won annually, while small businesses struggle with average bonuses resting at a fraction of that amount, according to data from the Korea Federation of Small Business.
Legislative Holiday Pay Contrasts With SME Bonuses
Lawmakers receive holiday stipends set at 60% of their monthly general allowance for both the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays, yielding an annual total of 8,793,120 won per person. By contrast, a survey of 1,000 small businesses conducted by the Korea Federation of Small Business found that only 45.1% of companies planned to issue Chuseok bonuses. Another 38.5% decided against payouts, while 16.4% remained undecided.
For enterprises issuing bonuses, the average fixed payout stood at 665,000 won per worker—roughly one-seventh of a lawmaker’s holiday stipend. Furthermore, 40.0% of surveyed businesses reported that their corporate funding situation for Chuseok was tighter than it was the previous year.
Bangla-U.S. Strategic MoU on Civil Nuclear Cooperation
Moving to international diplomacy, Bangladesh and the United States signed a strategic memorandum of understanding regarding civil nuclear cooperation during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Rehan Asad, the Prime Minister’s advisor for science and technology, signed for Bangladesh, while Jacob Helberg, the State Department’s under secretary for economic growth, energy, and the environment, signed for the United States.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party stated that the agreement builds upon bilateral peaceful nuclear energy cooperation initiated in 1981 under then-President Ziaur Rahman. The pact aims to expand exchanges in nuclear technology and scientific knowledge as Dhaka advances long-term energy diversification, which includes constructing the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.
Bangsamoro Peace Process and Malaysian Mediation
In Southeast Asia, Moro Islamic Liberation Front Peace Implementing Panel Chairman Iqbal urged Malaysia to remain a fair mediator in implementing peace within the Bangsamoro region. Speaking in Kuala Lumpur following a special meeting of the Philippine government and MILF peace panels, Iqbal stated that Malaysia has worked alongside both sides as a fair mediator since 2001 to overcome obstacles.
The meeting followed a joint activity resumption agreement reached in Davao City and occurred shortly after the first parliamentary elections for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. According to Agence France-Presse, conflict stemming from the Moro independence movement and the Philippine government since the 1970s has claimed an estimated 150,000 lives.
Cambodia Appeals Over Border Displacements at UN
At the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Prak Sokhon appealed to the international community regarding more than 20,000 Cambodian citizens unable to return from border regions in Thailand. Sokhon noted that UN human rights special rapporteur Tom Andrews conducted field missions to the affected areas, observing residential housing alongside Thai military barbed wire and barriers in the Boeung Trakoun area.
Sokhon called for the complete implementation of ceasefire agreements and the swift resumption of joint border committee operations for surveying and demarcation. He stated that Cambodia initiated compulsory conciliation procedures under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea after Thailand terminated a 2001 memorandum of understanding.
Pakistan Welcomes U.S. Intervention in Military Standoff
In South Asia, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif used his UN General Assembly address to thank U.S. President Donald Trump for timely intervention that averted a full-scale military conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors in May 2025. Sharif credited Trump with decisive leadership that saved millions of lives and proposed a comprehensive dialogue with India to resolve the Kashmir dispute.
Trump shared an 87-second clip of Sharif’s speech on Truth Social without additional commentary. Trump had previously cited the India-Pakistan dispute during his own UN General Assembly address as one of eight conflicts he helped resolve.
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