Page 286 - 2018 Defense White Paper

military service, not only serves the basic purpose of a pension system as a social insurance that

ensures income for one’s later years but also works as a national program that guarantees a stable
livelihood for servicemembers retiring early and compensates those who sacrif ice themselves for
the country. The military pension has an important role in helping career servicemembers focus

on their duties without having to worry about life after retirement. Developed countries provide
more preferential benef its to military pension funds compared to other public pension programs
in consideration of the specif ic characteristics of a military pension.

| Improving the Military Pension System | The Military Pension Act was amended on
November 28, 2017, to allow servicemembers who retired and had their disability grade finalized

on or before May 19, 2011, to apply for pensions for wounds. In addition, the MND submitted
a bill to the National Assembly for a revision of the Military Pension Act in March 2018. The
revision includes the “Pension Split” provision that, to protect the livelihood of divorced spouses
in their twilight years, grants a divorced spouse a pro-rata part of his/her spouse’s pension

corresponding to the p eriod during the latter’s service in which the two have stayed married,
if f ive years or more of their marriage overlaps with the latter’s years in service. In addition,

the revision includes a provision that discontinues the payment of the retirement pension or
the pension for wounds when the benef iciary is elected as a public off icial or employed at an
organization entirely funded or funded by the state or a local government.

| Reinforcing Compensation for Accidents | Even though the compensation program
for servicemembers affected by accidents differ from the Military Pension in terms of their
purposes and f inancial sources, the two programs had been operated under the same roof ever

since the enactment of the Military Pension Act in 1963. This issue undermined the state’s ability
to provide suff icient compensation for servicemembers affected by accidents in the course of
their duties in a responsible manner. To address this issue by raising the level of compensation

on par with the people’s expectations and pursuing a practical advancement of the accident
compensation program for servicemembers, the MND has been pursuing the enactment of the
Military Disaster Compensation Act. The key elements of the proposed act provide enhanced

compensations for servicemembers, including a substantial increase in the amount of disability
compensations, and the rationalization of the compensations provided to bereaved families.

284 Chapter 6 Instilling a High-Morale Military Culture Trusted by the People