"Barun Youth Union Holds Press Conference at National Assembly Urging for Sustainable and Fair Pension Reform"

The Bareun Youth Union, which was launched as a nationwide youth organization, held a press conference urging pension reform, stating, "We are born with a debt of 100 million won and must stop passing the burden of the National Pension System onto the next generation."

In response to the Presidential Office and government announcing that they are preparing a pension reform plan to reduce the burden on the younger generation and provide benefits to military service members and those who give birth, the Bareun Youth Union on the 22nd called for sustainable and fair pension reform.

Members of the youth organization Barun Youth Union hold a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Hall on the morning of the 22nd.

In a statement released at the National Assembly Communication Center at 10:40 a.m. that day, the Bareun Youth Union argued, "A 25-year-old who pays National Pension contributions every month until the age of 65 may end up not receiving a single penny in return," and appealed, "Young people feel that they would rather not receive anything at all if it means not having to pay into the pension system."

Targeting the pension reform proposals from the Pension Special Committee and the National Assembly, which advocate for 'pay more, receive more,' they pointed out, "There is a plan to raise the National Pension contribution rate from the current 9% to 13%, an increase of nearly 50%." They criticized, "Both parties agreed to increase the contribution rate to 13% and to raise the income replacement rate, differing only on the extent of the increase. This will only delay the fund's depletion by 7 to 8 years, and young people will end up paying tens of millions more without receiving any benefits."

Regarding the government's pension reform plan, they added, "Although we feel like not paying or receiving National Pension at all, we support the government's reform direction for the sake of the youth," and urged, "Do not be swayed by the National Assembly?reform more boldly for the people."

The Bareun Youth Union appealed for participation in a petition campaign to collect 10 million signatures, emphasizing, "Korea desperately needs a 'sustainable and fair pension reform' to stop passing the burden onto the next generation."

Prior to the press conference, on the 21st, the organization posted large notices titled "Stop Passing the National Pension Bomb to the Next Generation!" at about 50 universities in the Seoul metropolitan area, including Seoul National University and Chung-Ang University, as well as at Pusan National University, Pukyong National University, and Ulsan National University in the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam region.

A representative of the Bareun Youth Union emphasized, "Based on the 10 million signature campaign, we will continue to monitor and bring public attention to legislative activities that increase the burden on the youth."

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