Korea’s higher survivor supplement and benefit choice
Use an enacted amendment to see how the survivor supplement applies when benefits overlap.
Updated Nov 7, 2026
An increase in the survivor supplement
The National Pension Act amendment effective 2016-11-30 raised the survivor supplement from 20% to 30% when a person entitled to a survivor pension and another National Pension benefit chooses the other benefit.
Compare the options using the calculated survivor benefit
If your old-age pension is KRW 800,000 and the calculated survivor pension is KRW 1,000,000, choosing your benefit plus 30% of the survivor amount yields KRW 1,100,000. Choosing the survivor pension alone yields KRW 1,000,000. The calculation starts with the survivor benefit already determined.
Actual payments depend on eligibility and the award
The example assumes entitlement to both benefits. The survivor pension applies statutory requirements including coverage history and its own formula. It excludes the deceased’s deferral increase.
Sources
- Korean Law Information Center | National Pension Act amendment rationaleAccessed Nov 7, 2026
- National Pension Service | Major changes to the National Pension ActAccessed Nov 7, 2026
- National Pension Service | Survivor benefit eligibility and amountAccessed Nov 7, 2026