Seo Taewon, Governor of Gapyeong County, and Kim Yongtae, National Assembly Member
Visit National Pension Service Headquarters in Protest
Deliver Residents' Voices Directly to the Agency
The voices of Gapyeong County residents opposing the decision to close the Gapyeong Counseling Center of the National Pension Service were directly delivered to the headquarters of the National Pension Service.
Seo Taewon, Gapyeong County Governor (right), and Kim Yongtae, Member of the National Assembly (left), visited the headquarters of the National Pension Service located in Jeonju, Jeonbuk, on the 8th, and personally delivered a petition opposing the closure of the Gapyeong Counseling Center of the National Pension Service to Chairman Kim Taehyun. Provided by Gapyeong County
On December 8, Seo Taewon, Governor of Gapyeong County, and Kim Yongtae, Member of the National Assembly, visited the headquarters of the National Pension Service in Jeonju, Jeonbuk, and personally delivered a petition to Chairman Kim Taehyun, strongly urging the withdrawal of the closure decision.
Gapyeong County, despite its large area, has a small population and has entered a super-aged society, with 32.4% of its residents aged 65 or older. In 2021, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety designated it as a depopulated area. Due to these regional characteristics, the Gapyeong Counseling Center has served as an essential pension consultation and civil complaint window for elderly residents and those with limited mobility who face poor transportation accessibility.
If the counseling center is closed, residents will be forced to travel long distances to visit a branch office, which is likely to cause many elderly people to give up on receiving consultations altogether. In addition, there are concerns that digital underprivileged groups, who have difficulty using online or mobile services, will face even greater barriers to information access, and that the lack of on-site response will lead to significant delays in handling civil complaints.
One local resident stated, "We already face reverse discrimination due to regulations in the Seoul metropolitan area, and there are no public institutions from the central government or even Gyeonggi Province in Gapyeong. This closure decision only deepens the sense of relative deprivation among county residents," adding, "The decision to close the Gapyeong Counseling Center of the National Pension Service must be completely withdrawn."
The petition delivered this time encapsulates these concerns and opposition from the local community. A total of 13,539 Gapyeong County residents participated in a signature campaign calling for the withdrawal of the closure decision, which took place from October 23 to November 21. The petition included signatures from local residents, heads of major institutions and social organizations, a joint statement from local labor unions, and a resolution from the Gapyeong County Council opposing the closure.
Seo Taewon, Gapyung County Governor (left), and Kim Yongtae, Member of the National Assembly (second from left), visited the National Pension Service headquarters located in Jeonju, Jeonbuk, on the 8th to convey the voices of county residents opposing the decision to close the Gapyung Counseling Center to Kim Taehyun, Chairman (third from left). Provided by Gapyung County
An official from Gapyeong County stated, "The decision to close the Gapyeong Counseling Center should not be approached simply from the perspective of administrative efficiency, but rather as a matter of guaranteeing the welfare and basic rights of local residents. We urge the National Pension Service to listen to the urgent voices of Gapyeong County residents and withdraw the decision to close the counseling center."
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