Ye "300,000→400,000" Basic Pension, 200,000 People Have Not Applied

Choi Yeon-sook "We Must Strive to Identify and Promote Unregistered Applicants"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] It has been revealed that more than 200,000 eligible recipients of the Basic Pension have not applied for the pension.

According to the 'Basic Pension Recipient Status' data received on the 23rd by Choi Yeon-sook, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee from the People Power Party, from the National Pension Service, as of May this year, out of 6,106,229 eligible Basic Pension recipients, 206,309 have not applied for the Basic Pension.

The Basic Pension is a pension paid to the bottom 70% income group among the population aged 65 and older. Currently, the monthly amount is around 300,000 KRW, and the Democratic Party has proposed a Basic Pension Act to raise it to 400,000 KRW. It is also a pledge of President Yoon Seok-yeol.

Looking at the receipt rates by age group, the rate was lowest at 52.9% for age 65, then 58.8% for ages 66?69, 65.4% for 70?74, 72.4% for 75?79, 79% for 80?84, 82.6% for 85?89, 85.6% for 90?94, 86.5% for 95?99, and 78.5% for 100 and older, showing that the receipt rate increased with age.

By region, Jeollanam-do had the highest rate at 80.8%, followed by Gyeongsangbuk-do at 76.3%, and Jeollabuk-do at 75.9%, while Sejong City had the lowest at 57.7%, followed by Seoul at 55.5%.

Assembly member Choi Yeon-sook said, "The Basic Pension is one of the important economic means for elderly people with low income," and added, "Efforts must be strengthened to identify and promote those who have not applied so that no one misses out on receiving the pension because they are unaware that they are eligible."