Within the project �Issue Paper Series � Labour and Society�, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Korea Office has invited national experts to analyse the current trend of socio-economic issues in South Korea and developing future scenarios for �socio-economic justice transition�. This article attempts to answer the following questions about the social security system in South Korea: - How do the major social insurance schemes in Korea work? - Which social protection issues are most prominent in the public debate? - What is the governmental plan for expanding the social security schemes? What can be alternative solutions?