When a decision of Korea's National Pension Service does not make sense to you — a disability grade came out low, the pension amount is off, your coverage status was recorded wrongly — the Act provides a route: a request for review. It has deadlines, and the route closes when they pass. We read Articles 108 to 112 of the National Pension Act and the Enforcement Decree in the original.
1. Request a review within 90 days of learning of the disposition. It cannot be filed once 180 days have passed from the date of the disposition (Article 108(2)).
2. The Service decides within 60 days. It may extend by 30 days where unavoidable (Decree Article 100).
3. If you disagree with the decision, request a re-review. Within 90 days of receiving notice of the decision (Article 110).
What can be reviewed — Article 108(1)
The Act says a person who objects to a disposition of the Service or the National Health Insurance Service concerning the status of an insured person, the standard monthly income, pension contributions, other collections under the Act, and benefits may request a review from the body that made the disposition.
| Kind of disposition | Example (added by us) | Where to file |
|---|---|---|
| Status of an insured person | Acquiring or losing workplace or individually insured status | The body that made the disposition |
| Standard monthly income | The income figure on which contributions are based | The body that made the disposition |
| Contributions and collections | Contribution bills, late charges, collection of arrears | The body that made the disposition (collection is by the NHIS) |
| Benefits | Whether and how much old-age, disability or survivor pension is paid; disability grade | The body that made the disposition (the NPS) |
The examples in the middle column are ours; the Act names only the four heads on the left. The Act lists "the Service or the National Health Insurance Service" side by side because contribution collection is handled by the NHIS — hence a National Pension Review Committee at the NPS and a Collection Review Committee at the NHIS (Article 109). The disposition notice states which body made it; file there.
Two deadlines — 90 days and 180 days
A request for review must be made in writing (electronic documents included) within 90 days of the day you learned of the disposition, and cannot be filed once 180 days from the date of the disposition have passed. The route closes on whichever comes first.
| Starting point (example) | Period | On the calendar (our arithmetic) |
|---|---|---|
| Day you learned of it: 7 October 2026 | 90 days | Around 5 January 2027 |
| Date of the disposition: 1 October 2026 | 180 days | Around 30 March 2027 |
The dates on the right simply add 90 and 180 days to the starting point. Whether the first day counts and what happens when the last day is a holiday follow the rules on computing periods, which we did not read — hence "around". Do not lean on the last few days; file with room to spare.
Missing the deadline does not close the route completely. The proviso says a request may still be made after the period if you prove that you could not make it within the period for a justifiable reason. The Act does not say what counts as justifiable.
What goes in the request — Decree Article 88
- The claimant's name, address and resident registration number (alien registration number for a foreigner)
- The name, address and resident registration number of the person who received the disposition
- The content of the disposition being challenged
- The day you learned of the disposition
- The purport of and reasons for the request
- The date of the request
- The relationship, where the claimant is not the person who received the disposition
- A list of attached documents
The claimant must sign and seal it (electronic signature included), and an agent must attach a power of attorney (Article 88(1) and (3)). Note that there is a line for the day you learned of the disposition — it is where the 90 days start, so keep the date the notice reached you together with the envelope or text message (our suggestion). Follow the Service's guidance for the form; we did not check the form itself.
A gap in the request is not fatal at once. Where the committee finds the request unlawful but capable of correction, it must set a period and require correction, and once corrected the request is treated as lawful from the start (Decree Article 95).
Three possible outcomes — Decree Articles 99 and 100
| Decision | When | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Dismissed without review | The request is not lawful | Requirements not met, such as a missed deadline, so the merits are not examined (our gloss) |
| Rejected | The request is found groundless | The original disposition stands |
| Cancelled or changed | The request is found well grounded | The disposition is cancelled or altered |
The Service must decide within 60 days of receiving the request. Where unavoidable, the chairperson may extend by 30 days ex officio. Once it decides, it sends the claimant an authentic copy of the written decision without delay.
At the longest that is 60 days + 30 days = 90 days (our arithmetic). The written decision states the order and the reasons (Decree Article 101) — the part to read when deciding whether to seek a re-review.
If you still disagree — re-review (Articles 110 to 112)
- A person who disagrees with the review decision may request a re-review from the National Pension Re-review Committee within 90 days of receiving notice of the decision.
- The Re-review Committee sits in the Ministry of Health and Welfare — not in the Service that made the disposition. It has up to 20 members including 1 chairperson, and non-officials must be the majority (Article 111).
- The Administrative Appeals Act applies with the necessary changes to its procedure, and a re-review is deemed an administrative appeal for the purposes of Article 18 of the Administrative Litigation Act (Article 112).
What Article 112 means is that at the litigation stage a re-review is treated as having gone through an administrative appeal (our reading). We did not read Article 18 of the Administrative Litigation Act or the time limit for bringing an action — take legal advice if you are thinking of going to court.
The sequence at a glance
| Step | Deadline | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Request for review | 90 days from learning of it; 180 days from the disposition | The NPS or NHIS that made the disposition |
| 2. Decision | 60 days from receipt (extendable by 30 days) | The Service |
| 3. Request for re-review | 90 days from receiving notice of the decision | National Pension Re-review Committee, Ministry of Health and Welfare |
Checklist
- ☐ Noted the date the disposition notice reached you
- ☐ Marked on the calendar when 90 days from that date falls
- ☐ Confirmed whether the NPS or the NHIS made the disposition
- ☐ Stated the purport, the reasons and the day you learned of it
- ☐ Attached material supporting the reasons (medical certificates, income records and so on)
Questions that remain
Is this different from the time limit on claiming a pension?
Yes. The review deadline is for challenging a disposition already made; extinctive prescription, under which the right to a benefit lapses, is separate — see the National Pension time limits.
My disability grade came out low
That is a disposition concerning benefits, so it can be reviewed. Grades and amounts are in the disability pension.
Do I stop paying contributions while the review is pending?
The provisions we read contain no sentence saying that a request for review suspends the effect or enforcement of the disposition. We did not confirm whether it does — ask the Service.
Sources
- National Pension Act [in force 17 June 2026] [Act No. 21203, partially amended 16 December 2025] — original text (checked 7 October 2026). Article 108 (90 days; 180 days), Article 109, Article 110 (90 days), Article 111 (up to 20 members), Article 112.
- Enforcement Decree of the National Pension Act [in force 1 January 2026] [Presidential Decree No. 35602, partially amended 25 June 2025] — original text. Article 88 (contents of the request), Article 95 (correction), Article 99 (dismissal, rejection, cancellation or change), Article 100 (60 days; 30 days), Article 101, Article 103.
- Not read. The rules on computing periods, the Administrative Appeals Act, Article 18 of the Administrative Litigation Act and the time limit for an action, the Enforcement Rule on how to request a re-review, the request form, and the detail of the Collection Review Committee provisions (Decree Article 102-2).
- Our reading and arithmetic. The examples by kind of disposition, the date table, 90 days (60 days + 30 days), the gloss on dismissal.
Where to check further
- National Pension Service — the request form and how to file.
- The National Pension as a whole — the National Pension guide.
Written on 7 October 2026. The provisions follow the original text at the Korea Law Information Center; the reading and arithmetic are ours.