Pension service plans to enrol homemakers and young adults with no income
In short
The National Pension Service (국민연금공단) has formalised a plan to bring spouses with no income, such as full-time homemakers, and people aged 18 to under 27 with no income into the National Pension as payment-exempt regional subscribers. It reported the plan to the National Assembly health and welfare committee during its parliamentary audit. It says 6.67 million people are currently excluded from the legal subscription base.
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The National Pension Service (국민연금공단) has formalised a plan to bring spouses with no income, such as full-time homemakers, into the National Pension, according to a report on its key work that it submitted to the National Assembly health and welfare committee during its parliamentary audit. Yonhap, Maeil Business and Newsis reported the plan on 22 October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The core of the plan is to enrol spouses with no income, and people aged 18 to under 27 with no income, as payment-exempt subscribers within the regional subscriber category. Yonhap described it as a move from the '1 household 1 pension' design set in 1988, when the National Pension was introduced, to a '1 person 1 pension' system. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Under current law, a person with no income who is unmarried is classed as payment-exempt and keeps subscriber status, according to Yonhap and Newsis. A married person with no income whose spouse has income is classed as excluded. Yonhap and Maeil Business said an unmarried person with no income can pay later for up to 119 months and may get support for low-income regional subscribers, but a homemaker with no previous payment record is left out of both. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Citing Interior Ministry resident registration statistics, Yonhap reported that among 29.4 million people aged 18 to 59, 22.73 million are public pension subscribers: 20.93 million in the National Pension and 1.8 million in special occupational pensions. The excluded group, which includes spouses with no income and people under 27 with no income, numbers 6.67 million. Yonhap added 2.42 million payment-exempt regional subscribers and 450,000 long-term delinquents, giving 9.54 million, or 32.4% of the population of mandatory age, in the pension blind spot. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Financial support is also to expand. From 1 January 2027, young people born in 2009 who turn 18 are to receive 41,000 won toward their first month of pension premiums. The income ceiling for low-income regional subscriber premium support is to be raised from under 800,000 won a month to under 1 million won, which the outlets describe as a measure being pursued. Yonhap also reported that the maximum monthly premium support for farm and fishing workers rose from 46,350 won in 2025 to 50,350 won in 2026. [ 1 , 2 ]
Newsis quoted the service's chairman, Kim Seong-ju (김성주), as saying at the audit on 14 October that '1 person 1 pension' is the matter it is pushing hardest. He said the first-premium support for young people and bringing spouses with no income into the system should be handled the same way, and that only then could the country become a true guarantor of retirement income. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The plan would change a rule under which married people with no income are left outside the pension system while unmarried people with no income stay in it. The documents give no start date for the enrollment change, so its effect is not yet clear.
Key facts
- The National Pension Service said in its report on key work to the National Assembly health and welfare committee audit that it would restructure enrollment to include spouses with no income. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The core of the plan is to enrol spouses with no income and people aged 18 to under 27 with no income as payment-exempt subscribers within the regional subscriber category. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The number of people excluded from the legal subscription base, including spouses with no income and people under 27 with no income, is 6.67 million, based on Interior Ministry resident registration statistics. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- From 1 January 2027, young people born in 2009 who turn 18 are to receive support for one month of pension premiums, 41,000 won, for the first time. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The monthly income ceiling for low-income regional subscriber premium support is to be raised from under 800,000 won to under 1 million won; the outlets describe this as a measure being pursued. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The change is described as a shift from the '1 household 1 pension' design of 1988 to a '1 person 1 pension' system. [ 1 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The National Pension Service reported to the National Assembly health and welfare committee audit that it would restructure enrollment to include spouses with no income and young people aged 18 to under 27 with no income as payment-exempt regional subscribers. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Under current law, an unmarried person with no income can stay a subscriber as payment-exempt, while a married person with no income whose spouse has income is classed as excluded. [ 1 , 3 ]
- From 1 January 2027, young people born in 2009 who turn 18 are to get 41,000 won toward their first month of premiums, and the low-income regional subscriber support threshold is to rise from under 800,000 won to under 1 million won a month. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- When the enrollment restructuring would take effect and whether legal changes are needed. None of the documents gives a start date or describes the legislative steps for the enrollment change.
- Who is carrying out the plan. Yonhap and Maeil Business attribute the plan to the National Pension Service, while Newsis says the government is pushing it.
- The figure of 9.54 million people, 32.4% of the mandatory-age population, in the pension blind spot. Only Yonhap gives this figure, which adds payment-exempt regional subscribers (2.42 million) and long-term delinquents (450,000) to the 6.67 million excluded.