Single parents frustrated over unpaid child support... Will 'advance payment' provide relief?

Government to Reveal Detailed Plans Through Public Livelihood Forum
Advance Payment to Single Parents Followed by Debtor Reimbursement Claims
National Assembly Discusses Agenda for Child Support Enforcement Act Subcommittee

The government is set to finalize the introduction of the 'Advance Child Support Payment System,' under which the state pays child support that non-custodial parents have not paid and later recovers the amount. Since legal amendments are essential for claims of recourse, related discussions are also underway in the National Assembly. Although detailed plans regarding the initial operating budget and support fund recovery methods remain variables, both ruling and opposition parties share a common will to advance child support prepayment, so rapid legislative amendments may be possible.

On the 16th, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) announced that it is reviewing the introduction of the advance child support payment system and that related topics may be mentioned at the upcoming public discussion scheduled for early next month. Budgetary measures and other plans are also expected to be discussed at that time. Last year, MOGEF commissioned the Korea Women's Development Institute to conduct a research project on improving the recovery rate of support funds, which is set to conclude next month. A MOGEF official stated, "For the introduction of the advance child support payment system, legal amendments, securing budgets, and increasing recovery rates are key."

The Child Support Resolution Coalition held a relay protest on the 5th in front of the National Assembly, urging the passage of the Child Support Enforcement Act. Photo by Child Support Resolution Coalition

As the government gears up to push the policy forward, the National Assembly is also expected to begin discussions on amending the 'Child Support Enforcement Act' to include provisions for advance child support payments. Legal amendments are essential to provide the government with the basis for claims of recourse against child support defaulters for the system to be implemented. The advance child support payment system was a campaign pledge of President Yoon Suk-yeol and was also a pledge during Lee Jae-myung’s presidential candidacy as the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, making bipartisan agreement likely. At that time, Lee stated, "The state will first pay child support to single-parent children and then seek recourse from the child support debtors, marking a fundamental shift."

The ruling and opposition parties are coordinating agenda items and detailed schedules, including the Child Support Enforcement Act, to hold a subcommittee meeting within this month. A National Assembly Gender Equality and Family Committee official explained, "During discussions last month about holding a subcommittee meeting, the Ministry of Economy and Finance opposed including the advance child support payment system, so it was excluded from the agenda. This time, MOGEF has expressed that it might be possible, so it is under review." Currently, there is no government-initiated bill for the Child Support Enforcement Act; instead, member-initiated bills are pending in the National Assembly. In the Democratic Party of Korea, lawmakers Park Hong-geun and Jang Kyung-tae have proposed a special law in the form of an enactment bill, while in the People Power Party, lawmakers Kim Mi-ae and Jeong Gyeong-hee have submitted amendments to the Child Support Enforcement Act.

Advance child support payment is a system where the government first pays unpaid child support to single parents and later recovers the amount from the debtor. It is an expanded form of MOGEF’s current 'Temporary Emergency Child Support' program. The temporary emergency support lasts up to 12 months, but about 50% of applicants are rejected, highlighting its limitations. Countries such as Germany and France also recognize the importance of child support and operate systems where the state advances child support until the child reaches adulthood. In Germany, for example, approximately 270,000 to 480,000 KRW is paid monthly until the child turns 18.

With the introduction of the advance child support payment system, single-parent families who have not felt the effects of administrative and criminal sanctions are expected to receive direct assistance. The child support payment compliance rate was 42.4% last year, but this figure only includes cases where institutional assistance was provided. For administrative sanctions or criminal penalties against child support debtors, a court order for detention must be obtained, but debtors evade service by hiding their whereabouts and using other obstructive tactics.

The Child Support Resolution Coalition (Yanghaeyeon) has been conducting relay protests in front of the National Assembly since the 23rd of last month, urging the prompt passage of the Child Support Enforcement Act. Lee Do-yoon, vice president of Yanghaeyeon, said, "From filing a child support enforcement request to criminal punishment, it takes an average of four years. For ordinary people raising children and working, managing a lawsuit is mentally exhausting. Even if the advance payment system does not cover the full amount of child support, if it is combined with simplified enforcement procedures, it could reduce the number of cases where people give up due to the difficulty of the litigation process."

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