Exclusive: Split pension claims surge amid late-divorce wave, pushing recoupment amounts nearly double in 3 years

A surge in retroactive claims for split national pension benefits — fueled largely by a rise in late-life divorces — has pushed the amount the National Pension Service must recoup from existing recipients to nearly double what it was three years ago.

According to data submitted by the National Pension Service to the office of Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kwon Chil-seung, the party's policy committee chair, recoupment amounts tied to split pension claims rose from 4,196 cases worth 7.22 billion won ($5.31 million) in 2022 to 5,489 cases worth 13.47 billion won in 2025.

A split pension allows a divorced spouse to receive a portion of the other party's old-age pension corresponding to the years of marriage, recognizing each partner's emotional and financial contributions during that period and ensuring a stable retirement income after divorce. When such a claim is filed retroactively, the pension service must recover pension payments already disbursed to the other ex-spouse.

The National Pension Service attributed the recent rise in recoupment amounts to "an increase in retroactive split pension claims driven by social trends such as the rise in late-life divorces." The service added that delays in updating personal status changes — such as deaths or adoptions — in court and administrative records also generate recoupment cases.

A further complication is that recoupment payments are often spread over long periods. The service said that "even when recipients report changes within the required deadline, some recoupment is unavoidable given the monthly nature of pension payments."

In one common scenario, a pensioner receiving old-age benefits incurs a recoupment obligation after an ex-spouse files a retroactive split pension claim, but has no separate income or assets and must repay the debt in monthly installments out of their own pension. Because the service cannot withhold more than half of a recipient's monthly pension without the recipient's consent, full repayment can take years.

Of the total 97.08 billion won in recoupment amounts generated from 2022 through April of this year, the service has been unable to collect 12.8 billion won.

The overall scale of national pension recoupment has also been rising steadily. Annual recoupment amounts grew from 17.42 billion won in 2022 to 18.5 billion won in 2023, 24.44 billion won in 2024, and 27.66 billion won in 2025. From 2022 through April of this year, total recoupment reached 94,528 cases worth 97.08 billion won.

"Retroactive split pension claims can place an unexpected burden on existing recipients," Kwon said, urging a review not only of collection methods but also of the structural causes behind the growing recoupment amounts, taking into account changed social conditions including family structures and retirement income environments.

He added that the collection and management system should be reviewed in step with the rise in recoupment amounts, calling for measures that address the reasons behind uncollected cases, reduce long-term non-collection, and ensure a rational collection approach that does not threaten recipients' livelihoods.