President Lee Jae-myung said Friday that basic pension payments should be increased more generously for impoverished seniors.
"Wouldn't it be acceptable now to pay some of the basic pension a bit more generously to elderly people in poverty?" Lee wrote on X, formerly Twitter, sharing an article about basic pension reform.
The article detailed government plans to gradually reduce pension deduction rates for low-income elderly couples starting in 2027.
"Growing old together as a married couple should not be a disadvantage," Lee said. "I hear there are even cases of fake divorces to avoid basic pension reductions."
He added that payment reductions stem from fiscal constraints and should be corrected as much as possible.
Lee pointed to South Korea's high suicide rates, noting that poverty is the leading cause of elderly suicides. "To reduce elderly poverty that drives people to suicide, we need to change the basic pension somewhat," he said.
"Seniors with monthly incomes of several million won receive the same basic pension as those with zero income," Lee wrote. "Now it seems acceptable to pay some portion more generously to impoverished seniors."
The president proposed keeping current payment levels unchanged while applying a "more for the bottom, less for the top" approach only to future increases, asking for public input on the idea.
According to the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee, the Ministry of Health and Welfare reported these plans at a standing committee meeting on May 10. The report included measures to prioritize reforms of the spousal reduction system, which cuts pension payments by 20% each when both spouses receive basic pension, focusing first on vulnerable groups.