Thousands of disabled contributors die before qualifying for pension, lawmaker urges early benefits

Data presented by Rep. So Byeong-hun of the Democratic Party of Korea showed that 13,263 people with disabilities died before reaching the statutory pension age over the last five years, and 6,100 of them had fulfilled the minimum 120-month contribution period for an old-age pension. These deaths resulted in 4,281 survivor-pension claims and 766 lump-sum death-benefit claims, while 1,053 cases remained unclaimed. The report also revealed that those with severe disabilities had shorter average contribution periods—104 months compared with 160 months for less severe cases.

So urged the pension authorities to stop ignoring the thousands who die without ever receiving a pension despite a decade of contributions, and suggested extending early-access rules similar to those for coal miners and seafarers to severe or developmental disabilities. The National Pension Service, however, has not conducted any simulations or financial forecasts on such a policy shift. The appeal underscores mounting pressure to reform the pension system for vulnerable disabled contributors.