More than 6,100 disabled individuals who paid into the National Pension for at least 10 years have died without ever receiving benefits, as they did not reach the eligibility age for old-age pensions.
This figure represents 46% of all registered disabled individuals who died before reaching the pension eligibility age. There are calls to lower the pension eligibility age for severely disabled individuals, who have a shorter life expectancy than non-disabled individuals.
According to data obtained by Rep. So Byeong-hoon of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee from the National Pension Service, a total of 13,263 registered disabled individuals died before reaching the legal pension eligibility age in the past five years.
Among those who died, 8,731 had severe disabilities, such as brain disorders or mental disabilities, which is about double the number of those with mild disabilities, who totaled 4,532.
Of those who had paid the minimum contribution period of 10 years but died before reaching the eligibility age, 6,100 individuals, or 46%, did not receive any old-age pension benefits.
Current National Pension law allows only certain workers in hazardous occupations, such as miners and sailors, to receive old-age pensions five years earlier than the general population, which is eligible between the ages of 61 and 65, depending on their birth year.
However, severely disabled individuals do not receive similar benefits. The National Pension Service has stated that there is a lack of research data on simulations or financial estimates regarding lowering the pension eligibility age for severely and developmentally disabled individuals.
Rep. So Byeong-hoon emphasized, "The reality that thousands of disabled individuals have paid into the system for over 10 years without receiving any support from the state in their old age cannot be ignored. The principle of 'special occupation equivalence' recognized for miners should also be applied to severely disabled individuals to lower the eligibility age for pension benefits."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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