NPS to launch call service for expats

The National Pension Service said Thursday that it would launch a call center for foreign clients to offer advice in three Asian languages.

The call center will offer counseling and help issue certificates of service subscription in Chinese, Indonesian and Thai from next week, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. English-language telephone assistance is already available.

Chinese service will be available at (02) 2176-8735, with Indonesian service at (02) 2176-8734 and Thai service at (02) 2176-8730.

Nearly half of the 230,000 foreigners using the pension service are Chinese, followed by Indonesians, with 9 percent, and Thais, with 7 percent, officials said.

The NPS has been making efforts to improve foreign services in various ways. Its website is operated in four languages ― English, Chinese, Indonesian and Thai.

The agency is planning to set up a counseling center for foreigners next year in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, where a large number of foreigners live.

By Lee Hyun-jeong (rene@heraldcorp.com)