Korea’s National Pension adds military service to your membership record — the military service credit, under Article 18 of the National Pension Act. Today (for those who finished service on or after 1 January 2026) the service must be at least 6 months, and at most 12 months is added. But an amendment of 20 October 2026 drops that cap and minimum from the text for those who finish service on or after 1 January 2027: the “service period” is added. Eighteen months of service earn 12 months if discharged in 2026 and 18 months if discharged in 2027 (our sum). The checker takes the type of service, its length and the discharge date.
1. Covered: active-duty soldiers, alternative service, regular reservists and social service agents (Art. 18(1)).
2. Discharged in 2026: under 6 months gives 0, 6–12 months counts as served, over 12 months gives 12 (Decree Art. 24-3).
3. Discharged from 1 January 2027: the whole service period — amended Art. 18(1), Addendum Art. 2 of Act No. 22096.
Checker
Updates as you type. The months are added when the old-age pension right is acquired. For service ended from 1 January 2027 the amended Act has no cap; the Decree on counting has not yet been changed, so treat that figure as provisional.
The article — now and from 2027
| Type | What the source says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Art. 18(1), in force 1 Jan 2026 | When an active-duty soldier, alternative service member, regular reservist or social service agent acquires the old-age pension right, the service period (12 months if it exceeds 12) is added. But not if the military service was under 6 months | Addendum Art. 2, Act No. 20903: applies to those who finished service on or after 1 Jan 2026 |
| Art. 18(1), amended 20 Oct 2026, in force 1 Jan 2027 | For the same four types, the service period is added when the old-age pension right is acquired | The 12-month cap and the 6-month proviso are gone from the text. Addendum Art. 2, Act No. 22096: applies to those who finish service on or after 1 Jan 2027 |
| Art. 18(2) | Not applied if all or part of the service counts toward the civil service, private school staff or special post office pension, or military pension service | Marked as amended 20 Oct 2026 |
| Art. 18(3)–(4) | The cost is borne by the state in whole. How the service period is counted is left to a Presidential Decree | The childbirth credit (Art. 19(3)) says “in whole or in part” |
| Decree Art. 24-3 | The period added is the military service period: 6 to 12 months counts as served (part-months count as one month); over 12 months counts as 12 | Added 25 June 2025. No Decree matching the 2027 amendment yet on the page |
Same service, different discharge dates — our examples
| Case (our example) | Months added | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Active duty 18 months, discharged 30 June 2026 | 12 months | 12-month cap |
| Active duty 18 months, discharged 2 March 2027 | 18 months | No cap in the amended text |
| Active duty 8 months 10 days, discharged 1 Sept 2026 | 9 months | The 10 days count as a month |
| Active duty 5 months 20 days, discharged 1 May 2026 | 0 months | Under 6 months — judged before rounding (our reading) |
| Social service 21 months, discharged 2 March 2027 | 21 months | 12 months if discharged in 2026 |
As the last row shows, 21 months of service earn 12 or 21 months depending on whether discharge falls in 2026 or 2027 — a 9-month gap (our sum). How the “service period” is counted for 2027 discharges is left to a Decree by Art. 18(4), and today’s Decree Art. 24-3 still carries the 12-month cap, so we need the new Decree. The checker’s 2027 figures are provisional for that reason.
“Under 6 months” is judged before rounding
Decree Art. 24-3 counts part-months as a full month when the service is between 6 and 12 months. Art. 18(1)’s proviso excludes service “under 6 months”. So we read 5 months 20 days as under 6 months and worth 0 (our reading). Once over 6 months, as with 8 months 10 days, the 10 days round up and give 9 months.
The income credited during credit periods (NPS guidance) and how this differs from back-paying contributions are in ways to increase your National Pension and National Pension back-payment.
Checklist
- ☐ Is the service one of the four types?
- ☐ Did service end in 2026, or in 2027 or later?
- ☐ For 2026: at least 6 months, cap of 12
- ☐ Is the same period counted toward another public pension?
- ☐ For 2027 or later: check the new Decree on counting
Questions that remain
I was discharged in 2025.
Addendum Art. 2 of Act No. 20903 applies today’s Art. 18(1) to those who finished service on or after 1 January 2026. We didn’t read the earlier wording; check with the National Pension Service.
Do I have to apply?
Art. 18(1) adds the months “when the old-age pension right is acquired”. The articles we read don’t set out an application procedure.
I served as an officer or NCO.
That isn’t among the four types in paragraph 1. And where career service counts toward the military pension, paragraph 2 excludes it anyway.
Sources
- Korean law database (law.go.kr) — National Pension Act Art. 18 and addenda — source (current text, effective 20 October 2026, Act No. 22096; checked 22 October 2026). Art. 18(1) in the 2026 wording and the amended wording in force 1 Jan 2027, (2) exclusion for other public pensions, (3) state funding, (4) delegation to Decree; Addendum Art. 2 of Act No. 20903, Addendum Arts. 1–2 of Act No. 22096.
- Korean law database — National Pension Act Enforcement Decree Art. 24-3 — source (current text, effective 1 January 2026, Presidential Decree No. 35602; checked 22 October 2026). 6–12 months counted as served (part-month = 1 month), over 12 months = 12.
- Not read. The wording that applies to discharges before 2026; the income credited for these months; the Military Service Act provisions.
- What we added. The “worth noting” column and the Korean everyday gloss.
Where to check further
- National Pension Service — months for discharges before 2026, and the new counting rule for 2027 discharges.
Written on 22 October 2026. The content is from the source; the glosses are ours.
