Workers risk losing pension eligibility due to employer contribution arrears
Lawmaker So Byung-hoon says legal obligation to pay premiums rests with employers
![[Yonhap]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/10/12/news-p.v1.20261012.c4d2a8074a454357bc4b519d977b1e62_P1.jpg)
Workers whose employers deducted national pension premiums from their wages but never remitted the money to the state pension fund may lose credit for those contribution periods — putting their eligibility for retirement benefits at risk, data released Monday showed.
According to figures submitted to Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker So Byung-hoon of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee by the National Pension Service, as of September, 134,616 subscribers had fewer than 10 years — or 120 months — of recognized contribution periods, but would cross that threshold if their employers' unpaid months were counted.
Under national pension rules, a subscriber must accumulate at least 10 years of contributions to receive a monthly old-age pension in retirement. When an employer fails to remit premiums, however, the period during which the worker was actually employed may not be fully credited.
Particularly striking, 56,883 subscribers had exactly 119 months of recognized contributions — just one month short of the 10-year requirement. A single month's credit from an employer's outstanding arrears would make them eligible. Among all subscribers who would clear the 10-year mark once employer arrears are included, 20,982 were already 60 or older.
Even among those who had already received a lump-sum refund of their contributions in lieu of a monthly pension, 2,823 people across 2023 through June this year would have qualified for the full pension had their employers' unpaid periods been counted.
As of September, about 1.50 million subscribers — 1,503,427 in total — had contribution gaps on record because their employers had failed to pay, with an average of roughly seven months of uncredited periods per person.
![[National Pension Service data, compiled by Rep. So Byung-hoon's office]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/10/12/news-p.v1.20261012.deafd50a086848599f883d82a0449032_P1.jpg)
The deeper problem is that workers may have to pay out of pocket to remedy a shortfall caused entirely by their employer's failure to remit. National pension premiums are split equally between employer and employee, with the employer responsible for deducting the worker's share from wages and submitting both halves together.
When an employer falls into arrears, a worker who pays only their own share directly can have only half of the delinquent period credited. To have the entire period recognized, the worker must also cover the employer's share.
That means an employee who already had premiums withheld from their paycheck may be forced to pay their own share a second time — and then cover the employer's share on top of that.
On the question of crediting contribution periods without actual payment, the National Pension Service said the matter requires careful consideration, citing fiscal concerns and fairness to subscribers who have paid their premiums in full.
"The legal obligation to pay national pension premiums lies with the employer," So said. "It is unreasonable for workers to bear the risk of losing their retirement pension simply because their employer failed to pay."
So called on the government to act quickly, urging it to consider crediting workers' contribution periods first and then pursuing delinquent employers for repayment — particularly to protect workers who are close to becoming eligible for pension benefits.
thlee@heraldcorp.com
