National Pension Service uses US Social Security Administration partnership and AI big data analysis to uncover unclaimed foreign pensions
More than 7,200 Koreans are now receiving foreign pensions, with annual payouts reaching 44.7 billion won ($32.9 million) — up about 10 billion won from the previous year — the National Pension Service said Monday.
The agency attributed the gains to three targeted support services it has offered since 2025 to help protect citizens' pension rights.
For the second consecutive year, the National Pension Service invited the US Social Security Administration (SSA) to Korea to provide in-person consultations and application assistance, with 1,200 people using the service to apply directly for US pension benefits. The agency also used AI and big data analysis of its own records to identify individuals likely eligible for foreign pensions, sending proactive application guidance letters four times since 2025.
In addition, the agency developed a self-diagnosis system called "Check Your Foreign Pension Eligibility," allowing anyone who has paid into a foreign pension scheme or lived in Australia, New Zealand or other countries to assess their own eligibility through the National Pension Service website.
Meanwhile, the National Pension Service has signed totalization agreements — which allow pension contribution periods from two countries to be combined to meet minimum eligibility requirements — with 32 of the 42 countries with which South Korea has social security agreements in force.
"This achievement is the fruit of providing close support to citizens who could not apply for foreign pensions due to a lack of information," National Pension Service Chairman Kim Sung-joo said. "We will continue to use proactive administration and digital technology to ensure that citizens do not miss out on their right to receive foreign pensions."
thlee@heraldcorp.com
