Dementia Patients Ask for Help Managing Their Assets as Applications Surge 30-Fold in Three Months

Applications for South Korea’s dementia asset-management support service increased more than 30-fold in three months, as more people sought help managing money they could no longer handle independently.

The pilot service, run by the National Pension Service, received six applications in April, 34 in May, 109 in June and 184 in July. It began on April 22. By early July, cumulative inquiries about the service had reached 1,271.

The program supports people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment who have difficulty managing financial assets themselves. The National Pension Service manages the assets on their behalf.

The service is currently being tested. The National Pension Service plans to analyze the pilot’s performance, improve the system and shift it into a full-scale program in 2028.

A similar asset-management support service for people with developmental disabilities entered its full program last October. The assets entrusted to that service had exceeded 7.5 billion won, according to a 2026 second-half work report submitted by the National Pension Service to the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee.