Korea Health Insurance's foreign subscribers surge, number of specific nationalities increases 3.35 times

It has become clear that the number of foreigners who have acquired the insured status of the National Health Insurance in South Korea has increased sharply in the past four years. The number of Chinese nationals has increased to nearly 80%, while the number of Vietnamese nationals has increased by 335% (3.35 times).
On the other hand, the number of people who have acquired Korean citizenship has decreased by about 30,000 people due to the declining birthrate. On the 18th, Kim Mi-ae, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, announced that she had been transferred from the National Health Insurance Corporation.
According to the documents obtained, the number of Chinese nationals who have obtained Korean health insurance qualifications will increase by nearly 80%, from 30,129 in 2020 to 56,425 in 2024.
During the same period, the number of Vietnamese nationals increased by 335%, or 3.35 times, from 13,714 to 59,662. The number of people who acquired Vietnamese nationality exceeded that of Chinese nationality.
The number of people with Uzbek citizenship also increased by nearly 100% during the same period, to 12,150. Meanwhile, the number of people with Korean citizenship increased by three years, from 294,876 in 2020 to 260,234 last year.
This is a decrease of more than 20,000. As the number of foreign subscribers increases, the number of cases of fraudulent receipt of health insurance benefits is also on the rise.
The number of foreigners and overseas Koreans found guilty of fraudulent benefits will be
The number of fraudulent recipients increased by 16.8% from 14,630 to 17,087 in 2024. The amount of fraudulent benefits also increased by 28.5% to 2.558 billion won.
Article 109 of the National Health Insurance Act provides for special provisions for foreigners residing in Japan, and specifies requirements for employment at a business, length of stay, etc.
In January of this year, Rep. Kim was the lead sponsor of a bill to amend the National Health Insurance Act to apply reciprocity between the Korean health insurance system and the home countries of foreigners.
The revised bill states that, except for those designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, such as international students and refugees, foreigners residing in Korea who are not covered by the insurance system of their home country can become subscribers or dependents of Korean health insurance.
In major overseas countries, workplace subscribers often join when they are employed, just like local people, and local subscribers are required to meet certain requirements such as length of residence and permanent residence.
On the other hand, there are also cautious opinions about the application of reciprocity. International agreements provide for equality of social security benefits for domestic residents and migrant workers, and there are few examples of reciprocity being applied in major countries.
It has been pointed out that consideration must be given to human rights issues and diplomatic friction.