National Pension Service Begins Recruitment Process for New Chairman

Vacant for 5 Months... Operated Under Acting Director System
Kim Yeon-myeong, Senior Secretary for Social Affairs & Kang Ki-jung, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Mentioned

Former National Pension Service Chairman Kim Sung-joo, who declared his candidacy for the National Assembly election last January <이미지:연합뉴스>

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The process to select a new chairman of the National Pension Service (NPS) has begun.

According to the NPS on the 8th, at the temporary board meeting held the day before, it was decided to form an Executive Recommendation Committee (ERC) to select the chairman.

An NPS official stated, "The specific members of the ERC are confidential and, following precedent, composed of current non-standing directors," adding, "The detailed recruitment schedule will be decided by the ERC."

Previously, former NPS Chairman Kim Seong-ju resigned in early January to run in the National Assembly general election, and since then, the NPS has been operating under an acting director system for five months.

The NPS chairman is recommended by the ERC, which selects 3 to 5 candidates through document and interview screening, to the Minister of Health and Welfare. The Minister then proposes one candidate to the President for appointment. The President makes the final appointment. The term is three years, with the possibility of renewal on a yearly basis.

Since the current administration took office, discussions surrounding the reform of the National Pension have been at a standstill, and as the term enters its latter half, it is difficult to gain momentum for reform. Therefore, interest in the appointment of the next chairman has increased.

New chairman candidates include Kim Yeon-myeong, Senior Secretary for Social Affairs at the Blue House, and Kang Ki-jung, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Blue House. Secretary Kim is a professor in the Department of Social Welfare at Chung-Ang University and is regarded as an expert in pension and welfare fields. Secretary Kang previously served as a member of the Special Committee for Pension System Improvement during his time as a lawmaker.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.