[Edaily Reporter Nam Soyeon ] It has been pointed out that there are as many as 20,000 pension recipients who paid National Pension premiums totaling 10 million won or less but received more than 100 million won in pension benefits.

According to data submitted by the National Pension Service to Rep. Choi Bo-yoon of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, Newsis reported that out of 758,893 subscribers who paid premiums of 10 million won or less, 19,972 received pension benefits totaling more than 100 million won. These individuals paid an average of 8.33 million won in premiums and received a total of 111.9 million won in pension benefits over 260 months.
This is believed to be because they enrolled in the National Pension System in its early stages and were subject to relatively favorable conditions.
In 1988, when the National Pension System was introduced, the premium rate for workplace subscribers was 3 percent; it was gradually raised to 6 percent in 1993 and 9 percent in 1998.
In contrast, the income replacement rate has steadily declined through three rounds of pension reforms.
In the first pension reform of 1998, the income replacement rate was adjusted from 70% to 60%, and the retirement age was gradually raised from 60 to 65.
Through the second pension reform in 2007, the income replacement rate was set to decrease from 60% to 50% in 2008 and then by 0.5 percentage points annually thereafter, reaching 40% starting in 2028.
However, under the third pension reform implemented last year, the contribution rate—previously 9%—will be raised gradually by 0.5 percentage points annually over eight years starting in 2026, reaching 13% by 2033, while the income replacement rate will be adjusted from 41.5% to 43% starting in 2026.
It was found that at least 3,260,147 people received National Pension benefits exceeding the total premiums they had paid.
Among the 2,059,542 beneficiaries who paid premiums between 10 million won and 20 million won, 1,294,563 received pensions exceeding 20 million won, and of these, 329 received pensions exceeding 200 million won.
Meanwhile, concerns about the depletion of pension funds continue to be raised. This is because the number of contributors paying premiums is decreasing due to low birth rates and an aging population, while the number of pension recipients is rapidly increasing.
Consequently, last year, the government and the National Assembly implemented the third round of pension reforms to enhance the financial stability of the National Pension System.
However, in a report released last July, the National Pension Research Institute pointed out that the current reform plan alone has limitations in addressing concerns about the fund’s depletion and emphasized the need to develop additional measures to ensure financial stability.