"Why Should We Support Elderly Chinese?": Public Outrage Over Foreigners Registering Overseas Families for Pensions

It has been revealed that foreigners who work in South Korea for just a month, make retroactive lump-sum payments for 119 months of National Pension premiums to receive old-age pensions for life, can even register their spouses, children, and parents residing abroad as dependents to receive additional pension benefits.

The controversy surrounding "retroactive national pension payments for foreigners" is now extending beyond individual pensions to the support of overseas family members.

The National Pension Service (NPS) provides an additional dependent family pension, which functions similarly to a family allowance, to old-age pension recipients who have dependents such as a spouse they financially support, children under the age of 19, or parents aged 63 or older.

As of January 2026, the annual payment amount is 306,630 won for a spouse and 204,360 won per person for a child under 19 or a parent aged 63 or older.

The problem is that this dependent family pension applies equally to foreign recipients as well as local citizens.

Consequently, this creates a structure where foreigners residing abroad who receive old-age pensions can register their dependent family members to increase their monthly pension payouts.

In connection with this, it is reported that cases of Chinese nationals, who acquired eligibility for old-age pensions through retroactive payments, subsequently applying for dependent family pensions are continuing to emerge.

Assuming they support one parent, a spouse, and a child, they can receive an additional 715,350 won annually on top of their old-age pension.

The National Pension Service also does not place any separate restrictions on the number of eligible dependent family members.

Criticism has been raised that this dependent family pension payment structure does not align with the original purpose of the system.

Concerns are being pointed out over whether it is appropriate to pay money, which has the character of a family allowance, from the pension fund formed by citizens' contributions to the spouses and children of foreigners who have never contributed to the South Korean economy through taxes or labor.

(Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Jang Yu-jin | Design by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.