Basic Pension Increase
Related coverage: 1 country, 2 sources
This topic isn't active right now. Last covered Sep 1, 2026. See today's headlines.
South Korea plans to keep basic pension payments for the lowest-income 70% of people aged 65 and older. The government proposes a 30,000-won increase for the poorest recipients, while critics question whether the measure provides targeted support.
Can a 30,000-won Increase Really Count as Targeted Basic Pension Support?
South Korea’s government is calling its new basic pension plan a “lower income, higher payment” reform, but the increase for the poorest recipients amounts to only 30,000 won a month. The limited adjustment has prompted criticism that the plan delivers neither substantial poverty relief nor a clear answer to the pension system’s long-term financial pressures. The government will retain the current…
South Korea keeps basic pension threshold at bottom 70%, adds 30,000 won for poorest seniors
South Korea will keep the basic pension’s existing eligibility rule for the bottom 70% of older people, while giving the poorest recipients a larger monthly payment. Under the plan, the bottom 30% of …
South Korea to Keep Basic Pension for 70% of Seniors, Add 30,000 Won for Lowest-Income Recipients
South Korea will keep its basic pension within the lower-income 70% of people aged 65 and older next year, abandoning for now a proposal to link eligibility to median income and gradually reduce cover…
Young South Koreans accuse basic pension reform of shifting costs onto future generations
South Korean young people have reacted angrily to the government’s proposed reform of the basic pension, accusing it of shifting the cost onto future generations. The Pension Research Association’s Fu…
