On Sunday, the Blue House announced that President Park Geun-hye is granting all lower-ranking military servicemen two days of leave and “bestowing” special snacks for military personnel on the occasion of Chuseok.

There is no doubt that the nearly 560,000 military servicemen who will get the unprecedented extra holidays will welcome the surprise gift. The holidays are being given in recognition of the efforts of the military servicemen during last month’s heightened inter-Korean military tension, according to the Blue House.

In keeping with the spirit of Chuseok, the presidential office said that Park would be “bestowing” special snacks to all servicemen. This is in addition to the Chuseok food provided by the military. The set of traditional snacks will be distributed along with a card bearing a message from the president.

Critics found the Blue House’s use of the word “bestow” problematic, drawing attention to how the word was used by monarchs when presenting their subjects with gifts. The critics pilloried the use of the word in a modern democracy where presidents are voted into the office by the people to serve the people.

If the use of the word “bestow” betrays the prevailing mood in the Blue House, as the critics claim, there is a cause for some concern -- a president and her staff in an anachronistic time warp who think nothing of lording over their subjects.

However, an even more serious problem with the notion of Park “bestowing” special Chuseok snacks is that it is not the president who is paying for them. The money for the snacks is coming from the Defense Ministry’s budget. So, it is actually the taxpayers who are “bestowing” the military servicemen with Chuseok gifts.

Those who think there is too much nitpicking about Park’s generous gesture toward our hardworking servicemen should consider the fact that the Defense Ministry is channeling the 1.2 billion won ($1 million) for the Chuseok treats from the 130.8 billion won budget set aside for the compensation of residents living close to military shooting ranges. The ministry reasoned that since 70 billion won of the budget for compensation -- for noise emanating from military installations -- will go unused this year, it could tap into that budget to pay for the special treats and received the Finance Ministry’s green light to divert the money.

In step with the special holiday passes, member companies of the Federation of Korean Industries have been enlisted to provide discounts for servicemen on special holidays. It is reported that the Blue House asked for cooperation from the group representing conglomerates and businesses promptly responded with various packages, ranging from free admission to movies and amusement parks to discounts at restaurants.

In creating a special holiday for military servicemen, the Blue House was perhaps encouraged by the public’s enthusiastic response to the declaration of a special public holiday on Aug. 14 to mark the 70th anniversary of Liberation Day. However, the Blue House should realize that there are repercussions to the well-intended gesture. All expressway tolls were waived on Aug. 14 and the Korea Expressway Corporation, which lost some 14.1 billion won in income that day, is now under pressure from the public to offer a similar waiver on Chuseok.

Military servicemen deserve gratitude from the nation for their service. However, such recognition should be made within the established systems and procedures, not through special gifts created at the whim of the president. Such impromptu programs set precedents that successive administrations and presidents may be pressured into following. Special programs may boost popularity, but they come at a cost, ultimately, to the public.