(Image: Kobiz Media)
SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — The government is pushing to revise a law that will permit divorced people to immediately claim part of the national pension received by their ex-spouses if the couple were married for at least one year, officials said Monday.
Under the current system, a couple needs to be married for more than five years to receive benefits from the other person’s pension scheme.
Eligibility for pension sharing currently also comes with other prerequisites, like age, and duration of subscription.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said the proposed revision would automatically make a divorced person eligible for part of the pension benefits.
The changed regulations outline how to calculate the extent of benefits based on when the couple separated.
The ministry, however, made clear that a person can only claim the part of the national pension for the duration of the time he or she was married and not for the whole period of subscription.
The measure is apparently aimed at preventing unnecessary disputes, as well as reflecting the growing number of people going their own way in their senior years.
Government data showed that as of June this year, 27,440 people were getting their ex-spouse’s pension, a big increase from 4,632 in 2010.
(Yonhap)
