Bill proposed to make all marriage immigrants NPS subscribers

A lawmaker has proposed a bill to make it mandatory for some 140,000 marriage immigrants who are waiting for Korean citizenship to subscribe to the National Pension Service (NPS).

Under the current law, Korean citizens can subscribe to the NPS. It is optional for marriage immigrants who are not yet Korean citizens to subscribe to the NPS, but only a few have done so.

Rep. Kim Woo-nam of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, proposed the bill on Nov. 18 in an effort to better protect immigrants.

“They arrive in Korea to be a part of the Korean society. We believe subscribing to the national pension is one of the very fundamental rights they should be able to enjoy,” said Kim Byung-chan, from Rep. Kim’s office, as to why the revision should be made.

The bill especially aims to protect immigrants from Vietnam.

What currently hinders their subscription is the principle of reciprocity in the national pension system.

For example, a working foreigner can be an NPS subscriber, but only when their country of origin has a reciprocal agreement with the Korean government recognizing each other’s pension system. Vietnam is one of the countries Korea has not yet signed this agreement with. Vietnamese citizens can’t subscribe to the NPS, and the same rule applies to Korean citizens who work in Vietnam, according to the NPS.

Kim’s proposal recognizes that marriage immigrants are of value, and their rights should be taken care of, according to the lawmaker.

Many immigrants, especially those from Southeast and Central Asia, say they suffer from discrimination here.

Yet, the lawmaker says things are changing slowly, and the NPS should embrace this fact.

Pension contributions are mandatory for all working citizens between the ages of 18-60. For stay- at-home mothers and the unemployed, it is optional. Foreign nationals employed by Korean companies are required to subscribe, with the exception for those from the countries without a reciprocal agreement with Korea.

While the subscriber is on sick leave, the NPS, a body manages the pension fund, covers part of the income. For those who die, the service returns money to the families.