Children wearing masks participate in an activity at a day care center in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, on March 10, 2021. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Ex-spouses who fail to make child support payments have been banned from leaving the country when the unpaid amount reaches a certain limit.
Now, the limit will become even lower.
The Ministry of Gender and Equality said Wednesday that a newly amended Enforcement Decree of the Act on Enforcing and Supporting Child Support Payments will soon come into effect.
The current law has been allowing the government to request a travel ban on those who fail to make child support payments of 50 million won (US$41,250) or more, which has been widely criticized for its lack of efficacy.
In response, the ministry coordinated with relevant agencies to lower the travel ban hurdle to 30 million won.
The government may now also request a travel ban in case a person fails to pay child support for over three months following incarceration orders for failing to pay, regardless of the amount.
This new rule is expected to boost the efficacy of the overall legislation.
The newly amended decree allows people under 75 percent of the median income tier to apply for temporary emergency childcare subsidies, unlike the previous 50 percent limit.
The amendment will be placed in a series of legal reviews before it comes into effect in August.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
