Gapyeong County Operates Mobile National Pension Counseling Service
[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Um In-yong] Gapyeong County and the National Pension Service announced on the 16th that they will operate a mobile National Pension counseling service three times per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) from the 19th at the민원지적과 (Civil Services Division) within the County Government Office.
The operation of this mobile counseling service is a measure to minimize the inconvenience residents face in having to travel to other areas for pension consultations following the closure of the National Pension Gapyeong Counseling Center.
The mobile counseling service will operate from the 19th through June 30th (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Consultations will be provided in-person at the County Government Office, with National Pension Service Chuncheon Branch staff bringing laptops and other computing equipment.
When the National Pension Gapyeong Counseling Center closure policy was decided last year, the county strongly opposed it, calling it a "measure that ignores local reality," and launched a petition campaign among residents.
Subsequently, Gapyeong County Governor Seo Tae-won and National Assembly Member Kim Yong-tae visited the National Pension Service headquarters in December of last year to deliver a proposal to Chairman Kim Tae-hyun and urged the reversal of the closure decision.
Meanwhile, pension-related phone consultations can be made through the National Pension Customer Service Center (1355 without area code) or 033-259-7755.
Choi Gyu-il, head of the County's Autonomous Administration Division, stated: "Compared to most mobile counseling services in other regions where pension counseling centers have been closed, which operate one to two times per week, Gapyeong County has increased it to three times per week in consideration of the high elderly population ratio and other factors." He added: "If resident participation is high, we plan to make an official request to the National Pension Service to continue operating the mobile counseling service beyond June."