South Korea Tightens Residency Checks for Foreigners Seeking National Pension Back Payments

South Korea is tightening a National Pension back-payment system after concerns that some foreign nationals used it to build eligibility and then left the country while continuing to receive pensions.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Pension Service said foreign applicants must now qualify based on their actual time living in South Korea, rather than simply the period covered by their foreign registration and valid residence status. The revised guidance took effect on the last day of the previous month.

Applicants must submit an official record of their entry and exit history. A month will count only when the applicant spent at least 15 days in South Korea, from the month containing the entry date through the month containing the departure date. Time spent overseas cannot be used to make retroactive contributions.

The back-payment system allows insured people who missed contributions during periods such as leave or unemployment to pay them later. Increasing the contribution period can raise future pension payments, and people with fewer than 10 years of coverage can use the system to reach the 10-year threshold for old-age pension eligibility.

The ministry also plans to amend the law so reciprocity rules apply to back payments. Contributions will be allowed for nationals of countries that recognize similar back-payment rights for South Koreans living abroad. In addition, the government plans to double annual checks on overseas beneficiaries, including checks on whether they are still alive. National Pension Service President Kim Seong-joo said the agency would strengthen monitoring by expanding exchanges of death records between countries and shortening the period for entitlement checks.

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We will further strengthen follow-up management of pension beneficiaries by expanding exchanges of death records between countries and shortening the period for entitlement checks.