What is Voluntary Continuation of Health Insurance?
When you leave employment in South Korea, you face an important decision regarding your national health insurance coverage. As an employee, your employer covered half of your health insurance premium. Once you separate from your employer, you must choose between two paths: voluntary continuation (임의계속가입) or switching to regional subscriber (지역가입자) status. The choice can mean a difference of hundreds of thousands of won per month, so understanding both options is critical.
Voluntary continuation allows you to maintain your workplace subscriber status for up to 36 months after leaving your job. During this period, you pay the full combined premium that you and your employer previously shared — roughly double your previous employee-only contribution. The advantage is that the premium is based solely on your last reported salary, ignoring any property, vehicles, or other income you may have. For people with significant assets but modest salary history, this can be substantially cheaper than regional subscriber rates.
Regional subscriber premiums, by contrast, are calculated using a point-based system that considers your income, property value, and vehicle ownership. The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) assigns points to each factor and multiplies the total by a per-point rate to determine your monthly premium. If you have minimal assets and income after leaving your job, regional rates may actually be lower than voluntary continuation. This calculator compares both options side by side so you can make an informed decision before your enrollment deadline passes.