Seoul Welfare Foundation Prevents 'Inheritance of Parents' Debt by Children in Foster Care'

Legal Support for All Processes from Guardian Appointment to Limited Inheritance Approval

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Seoul Social Welfare Public Interest Law Center within the Seoul Welfare Foundation will sign a business agreement on the 24th with the Seoul Family Foster Care Support Center to provide legal support for foster children, advocate for their rights, create a healthy growth environment, and improve welfare.

Foster care is a system where children who cannot receive protection from their biological families due to special circumstances such as the death or unemployment of their biological parents, illness, abuse, or incarceration are cared for in the homes of ordinary people, paternal or maternal grandparents, or relatives within the eighth degree of kinship for a certain period.

However, even while children are under foster care protection, legally, the biological parents still hold parental rights and maintain their status as legal representatives. Therefore, foster caregivers who actually raise the children face difficulties as they do not have the authority to open bank accounts or activate mobile phones in the child's name.

According to this agreement, when a child under foster care protection experiences difficulties in daily life due to the absence of a legal guardian or when legal support is needed, such as inheriting the parent's debt due to the death of the biological parent during the foster care period, the Seoul Family Foster Care Support Center will connect the case to the Public Interest Law Center. The Public Interest Law Center will provide legal support as needed, including suspension of parental rights of the biological parents, appointment of minor guardians such as grandparents or foster caregivers, and legal assistance for the child's renunciation or limited acceptance of inheritance.

Legal support to prevent the inheritance of debt must generally be carried out within three months from the date of the deceased's death, and there is a risk of missing the legal response period. Through this agreement, immediate and timely support will be possible by directly linking children who need legal assistance.

Kim Do-hee, head of the Public Interest Law Center (attorney), said, "Recently, policy-wise, family care is prioritized over institutional care for protected children, but various difficulties due to insufficient systems and different types of legal issues compared to large-scale child care facilities are expected to arise. We plan to gradually expand the support targets through future consultations."

Shim Hyung-rae, director of the Seoul Family Foster Care Support Center, expressed expectations, saying, "With this agreement, a cooperative system will be established to provide professional legal support whenever issues such as appointment of guardians or renunciation of inheritance arise, which will be a great help not only to our center but also to the children."

The Seoul Social Welfare Public Interest Law Center was established in July 2014 within the Seoul Welfare Foundation to provide legal counseling, public interest litigation, public interest legislation, and system improvement in the field of social security for Seoul citizens. Currently, a total of seven people work there, including four attorneys, including the center director, and three social workers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.