An illustration depicting child abuse (Illustration by Park Ji-young/The Korea Herald) South Korea plans to block national pension credits for parents convicted of child abuse and conscripts sentenced to at least 18 months in prison for crimes committed during military service, the government said Thursday.The Ministry of Health and Welfare included the proposal in its policy plan for the second half of 2026. It aims to complete a revision of the National Pension Act by the end of this year and introduce the new rules in 2027 after further public discussion.The National Pension Service allows certain periods to be added to a person’s contribution record, increasing the pension benefits they can receive after retirement. The program aims to recognize activities regarded as socially valuable, including raising children and completing mandatory military service.Under the childbirth credit system, parents receive additional contribution periods based on the number of children they have. A parent with three children, for example, currently receives an additional 42 months.The program is financed with public funds, with tax revenue covering 30 percent of the cost and the National Pension fund accounting for the remaining 70 percent.The government said it was inappropriate for parents convicted of child abuse to receive the same publicly funded benefit as those who fulfill their caregiving responsibilities.Parents accounted for 84.1 percent of identified child abusers in 2024, according to the ministry’s annual report, up from 82.1 percent in 2020.Reports of suspected child abuse also rose from 42,251 in 2020 to 50,242 in 2024. The number of cases formally determined to constitute abuse, however, declined from 30,905 to 24,492 over the same period.The ministry has yet to finalize the precise criteria for excluding abusive parents. It is considering factors including a final court ruling and the severity of criminal punishment.Some academics have also proposed redirecting funds saved through the restrictions toward medical treatment and financial support for child abuse victims. The proposal is not currently part of the government’s announced plan.Similar restrictions would be applied to military service credits.The military credit system recognizes part of a conscript’s service as a period of National Pension contributions. The maximum period was expanded to 12 months this year, and the government is considering eventually covering the full duration of mandatory service.Under the proposed revision, credits would be denied to service members sentenced to at least 18 months of imprisonment or imprisonment without labor if the conviction results in their removal from military status or a transfer to wartime labor service.The restriction would apply to criminal sentences and could replace disciplinary measures such as confinement under the former military guardhouse system.The Welfare Ministry said it would consult the Ministry of National Defense before adding the exclusion provisions to the proposed legislation.The government said the changes were intended to strengthen public confidence in the pension system by ensuring that benefits financed through taxes and pension funds are not extended to people convicted of serious wrongdoing.