Implementation of the Advance Child Support Payment System Keeps the Child Support Agency Busy. (Image courtesy of Yonahp)
SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — Starting next month, South Korea will strengthen its child support advance payment system to prevent delinquent parents from evading enforcement by making only partial payments, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Tuesday.
The program, launched in July 2024, allows the government to provide unpaid child support directly to single-parent families and later recover the amount from the non-custodial parent.
Under the revised rules, custodial parents may now apply even if they have received small, irregular payments in the three months prior to applying, as long as the total falls short of the monthly benchmark of 200,000 won ($150) per child. Full payment in any given month will still disqualify applicants.
Officials said the change will close a loophole that had prevented many families from receiving state assistance when delinquent parents engaged in what critics called “token payments.”
At the same time, authorities are intensifying enforcement against chronic defaulters. The ministry said 226 sanctions were approved this month against 200 individuals, including 143 travel bans, 72 driver’s license suspensions and 11 cases of public disclosure.
This captured image, provided by Yonhap News TV, shows the Bad Fathers website, which names uncooperative parents refusing to pay child support. (Yonhap)
Between January and August, 792 penalties were imposed — up nearly 30 percent from the same period last year — a rise attributed to streamlined procedures introduced in September 2024.
Among those sanctioned, the largest outstanding child support debt reached 319.7 million won (about $240,000), with the average debt at 51.9 million won.
“By securing child support payments, we aim to ease the financial burden on single-parent households and create an environment where children can grow up healthy,” a ministry official said.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
