"'Pay More, Receive Less' Pension Reform?… Park Jumin Says Acting Chief Choi 'Contrary to Parliament's Direction'"

Choi Sang-mok: "Agreement on Paying More and Receiving Less Is Essential"
Park Joo-min Criticizes: "Ignoring National Assembly Discussions"

National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee Chairman Park Ju-min is speaking at a meeting between the National Assembly, the Korean Medical Association, and resident doctor organizations held on the afternoon of December 19 last year at the Korean Medical Association in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Choi Sang-mok, Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister as well as Minister of Strategy and Finance, stated on the 11th that pension reform should be carried out in the direction of "paying more and receiving less." In response, Park Joo-min, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, strongly criticized this, saying it "contradicts the current direction of discussions in the National Assembly."

Park, chairman of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, said through a message on the social networking service (SNS) Facebook on the same day, "Acting President Choi's remarks, which seem to assume the policy of 'paying more and receiving less' as a given, ignore the national consensus and the discussions that have taken place in the National Assembly so far."

Earlier, Acting President Choi said in his opening remarks at the Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in the morning, "The most urgent matter is pension reform," and added, "I hope the ruling and opposition parties in the National Assembly will quickly reach an agreement."

He further explained, "If the National Pension, which is the foundation of a sustainable society, becomes insolvent, the confusion and repercussions will be unpredictable," and "For the National Pension to be operated stably without anyone bearing an excessive burden, a social consensus on 'paying more and receiving less' is essential."

However, Park pointed out that Acting President Choi's remarks contradict not only the results of the 21st National Assembly's Pension Reform Special Committee's Public Deliberation Committee but also the current direction of discussions in the National Assembly.

Park emphasized, "During the deliberation process of the Public Deliberation Committee, the public preferred a reform direction of 'paying more and receiving more,' and the majority expressed the opinion that the level of National Pension benefits needs to be raised to some extent. What the public wants is not a pension that only increases the burden but a National Pension that is stable, fair, and contributes to securing old-age income."

He continued, "Acting President Choi is not a mere Ministry of Strategy and Finance official but the Acting President," and added, "It is necessary not only to prioritize fiscal stability but also to respect the will of the people and the discussions in the National Assembly."

Park added, "I hope he will retract the statement that 'an agreement on paying more and receiving less is essential' and clearly state his position to faithfully follow the will of the people and the results of the National Assembly's discussions, as confirmed by the 21st National Assembly's Pension Special Committee's Public Deliberation Committee."