Convened on March 13, 2026

National Assembly Special Committee on Pension Reform

At the 6th Meeting of the Advisory Committee,

during the presentation by Professor Kim Won-sub of Korea University

on the construction of a multi-tier income security system,

a heated debate arose regarding the ratio of pension expenditure to GDP

between Yoon Seok-myeong, Honorary Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA),

and the presenter.

When the presenter, Professor Kim Won-sub,

cited the share of pension expenditure relative to GDP

as being approximately 6%,

at that time, Honorary Research Fellow Yoon Seok-myeong

argued that if all pension expenditures were aggregated,

the figure could, over the long term, exceed 15% of GDP.

Immediately following the conclusion of the 6th meeting, after consultation with Co-Chair Park Myeong-ho, it was agreed that the materials supporting Honorary Research Fellow Yoon Seok-myeong's position would

be distributed at the 7th meeting.

However, on March 27, at the moment a National Assembly Secretariat staff member

was distributing the printed copies on-site,

Co-Chair Ju Eun-seon

intervened, stating that no consensus had been reached,

and blocked the distribution.

We hereby publicly raise the following question

through the Pension Future Forum website!

Even with respect to officially government-produced projection materials,

invoking procedural consensus,

can a single co-chair

unilaterally block the distribution of such materials,

and is such an act legitimate?

In the early morning hours of March 27, 2026,

the content of an email sent to a National Assembly Secretariat staff member

is posted herein on the Pension Future Forum website,

together with

the materials whose distribution had been requested,

attached as a file.

(The following is the text of the email sent to the National Assembly Secretariat.)

"Dear Secretary Kim Tae-yeop:

The following concerns the trend in the ratio of pension expenditure to GDP, which has been a subject of controversy at every meeting.

In order to prevent further controversy,

Chair Park Myeong-ho has requested that

these materials be distributed at the next meeting.

These materials were provided by the government.

The data show that when the retirement age is eventually raised to 65,

pension expenditure relative to GDP will exceed 10%.

These figures, however, exclude the Basic Pension and

the Government Employees Pension, the Military Personnel Pension, and the Private School Teachers' Pension.

Since the majority of OECD member countries operate a common pension system,

the expenditure figures for the Government Employees Pension and the Private School Teachers' Pension are included within the National Pension expenditure ratio in those countries.

The Basic Pension, which operates on a quasi-universal basis in only some countries,

must also be included in cross-national OECD comparisons.

Over the long term, the Basic Pension's expenditure as a share of GDP is projected at 2.7%.

If expenditures for the Government Employees Pension, the Military Personnel Pension, and the Private School Teachers' Pension are also included,

then over the long term,

even if the current pension system is maintained as is,

public pension expenditure as a share of GDP will exceed 15%.

It is hoped that this matter will no longer remain a subject of controversy.

Kindly circulate

both the attached materials and the contents of this message to all committee members.

Sincerely, Yoon Seok-myeong"

(Regarding the Controversy over the Ratio of Korea's Pension Expenditure to GDP) Materials Blocked from Distribution at the 7th Meeting of the Advisory Committee to the National Assembly Special Committee on Pension Reform, and Their Explanatory Content

Convened on March 13, 2026

National Assembly Special Committee on Pension Reform

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