Health ministry launches task force to review social security fairness

The health ministry said Wednesday it has launched a dedicated task force to conduct a comprehensive review of unreasonable elements across the national social security system. The ministry cited rapid social changes as a reason for the review.

Minister Jeong Eun-kyung announced the formation of the Social Security System Fairness Review and Improvement Task Force during a meeting at the Conference House Dalgaebi in central Seoul. The body, which will operate from September through October, comprises six working groups covering social welfare, population services, healthcare and regional essential medical care, alongside practitioners from major affiliated agencies.

Key agenda items include applying the principle of reciprocity to the National Pension's voluntary contribution scheme for foreigners and imposing a minimum domestic residency requirement for Basic Pension eligibility. The task force will prioritize reviewing cases involving legal loopholes, illicit gains and repeated civil complaints based on proposals from public institutions and citizen suggestions.

"We will meticulously check for any institutional loopholes that deviate from common sense and the principles of fairness through the operation of this task force," Jeong said. She added that the ministry plans to immediately improve issues manageable through internal guidelines while pushing for necessary legal revisions by the end of the year.