Politics · South Korea · 2 hrs ago
South Korea ruling party disputes claim of 182 trillion won pension loss
Democratic Party policy chief Kwon Chil-seung rejected claims that South Korea’s National Pension Service lost 182 trillion won.
He said the fund’s investment return was 14.84% from January to July, its highest among three pension funds.
Kwon said changes in the value of some shares held by the fund do not show the performance of the whole fund.
He also said a temporary pause in adjusting investments was intended to avoid heavy selling after a sharp rise in domestic stocks.
The fund’s projected depletion year moved from 2055 to 2064 in estimates made in 2023 and last year, respectively, Kwon said.
He argued that short-term returns should not be used to judge when the fund will run out, because that estimate uses a long-term return assumption of 4.5%.
South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party disputed the People Power Party’s claim that the National Pension Service suffered losses of 182 trillion won.
Democratic policy chief Kwon Chil-seung said the fund recorded a cumulative return of 14.84% from January to July.
Kwon said changes in the value of some listed shares held by the fund were not the same as an overall loss on its investments.
He also disputed claims that the government blocked stock sales and that losses would bring forward the fund’s depletion.
Kwon said the fund should be judged on long-term returns and stability, rather than short-term investment results.
- Who
- Democratic Party policy chief Kwon Chil-seung disputed the claim by the People Power Party.
- What
- Kwon said the claim that the National Pension Service lost 182 trillion won was false. He cited a 14.84% cumulative return from January to July.
- When
- Kwon made the remarks on the 22nd. The article was published on October 22, 2026.
- Where
- At a Democratic Party parliamentary audit strategy meeting. The article does not state where the meeting was held.
- Why
- Kwon said changes in the value of some shares do not represent the fund’s overall investment performance, and argued it should be assessed over the long term.
Democratic Party
People Power Party
Claim of pension losses
Democratic Party
Kwon said the 182 trillion won loss claim was false and cited a 14.84% cumulative fund return from January to July.
People Power Party
The party claimed that the National Pension Service had suffered losses of 182 trillion won.
Stock sales
Democratic Party
Kwon said the claim that the government blocked stock sales was false; he said a temporary pause in rebalancing was intended to adjust investment weights.
People Power Party
The party alleged that the government had stopped the fund from selling stocks.
The fund management committee temporarily deferred rebalancing, according to Kwon.
The National Pension Service's domestic stock allocation had risen to 24.5%, Kwon said.
The fund recorded a cumulative investment return of 14.84%, according to Kwon.
Kwon disputed the People Power Party's claim of a 182 trillion won loss.
- Claimed loss
- 182 trillion won
- Cumulative fund return
- 14.84% from January to July 2026
- Domestic stock allocation
- 24.5% at the end of February 2026
- Fund depletion estimate
- 2055 in the 2023 projection; 2064 in the previous year's projection
- Long-term return assumption
- 4.5% used in the projection cited by Kwon
What people are saying
The claim by the People Power Party that the National Pension Service lost 182 trillion won is completely different from the facts.
From January to July this year, the National Pension Service fund's cumulative investment return was 14.84%, recording the highest return among the three pension funds.
The change in the valuation of shares in some listed companies held by the National Pension Service is different from an overall investment loss by the fund.
The National Pension Service is a fund responsible for people's retirement. It should be assessed based on the interests of its members, with long-term returns and stability at its center, not short-term investment.