With the government deciding to gradually lower, starting in 2027, the rate of the "basic pension reduction" that had been applied to couples, President Lee Jae-myung on the 16th proposed a "more for the lower, less for the higher" ("下厚上薄") approach that would pay more basic pension to low-income seniors, saying, "The basic pension amounts are the same for seniors with monthly income in the hundreds of thousands of won and for seniors with zero income."
On this day, Lee introduced coverage about the Ministry of Health and Welfare's basic pension overhaul on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, "Isn't it time to be a bit more generous for some of the seniors in poverty?" and "Leaving current payments as they are while applying the 'more for the lower, less for the higher' approach only to future increases could be one way. What do you think?"
Under the current basic pension system, when both members of a couple among seniors 65 and older in the bottom 70% by income receive the pension, each person's benefit is reduced by 20%. The logic was that couples living together share living expenses and thus save on expense, but the fundamental background was a measure to reduce the fiscal burden. However, there have been criticisms that this rule acts as reverse discrimination against low-income senior couples living together, worsening elderly poverty.
Lee also said, "It should not be a disadvantage for a couple to live out their years together. I hear there are even cases of sham divorces to avoid the basic pension reduction," adding, "Reduced payments are due to a lack of finances, so they should be corrected as much as possible." He further said, "In Korea, where the overall suicide rate and the elderly suicide rate are among the highest in the world, the biggest cause of elderly suicide is poverty," and, "To reduce elderly poverty that even leads to suicide, it seems we need to change the basic pension a bit."
Earlier, the ministry reported a reform plan centered on "gradually lowering the reduction rate for elderly couples in the bottom 40% by income" at a full meeting of the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee the previous day. It is known that discussions have been underway to lower the current 20% reduction rate to 15% by next year and to 10% by 2030.