Sanctions imposed on parents who failed to pay child support

Sanctions have been imposed on 268 individuals for prolonged failure to pay child support to custodial parents following divorce. These measures include publishing the list of their names, suspending their driver's licenses, and prohibiting them from leaving the country.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family recently convened the 34th and 35th sessions of the Deliberative Committee on Payment of Child Support. On Thursday, the ministry decided to publicly disclose the names of 11 individuals who defaulted on child support payments. Additionally, the ministry resolved to suspend the driver's licenses of 79 individuals and impose bans on international travel for 178 others. These individuals will be allowed to present their cases, and sanctions will be imposed if they fail to provide a valid reason for non-payment. The highest overdue child support amount among the sanctioned individuals is 274 million won.

By the end of last year, 142, or 26.1%, of the 544 sanctioned individuals, had paid some or all of their child support obligations. However, it is important to note that partial payments do not lift the sanction.

“As the sanctions have proven effective, the percentage of child support payments by obligated individuals has gradually increased from 38.3% in 2021 to 42.8% in 2023,” an official from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family stated. “With the amendment of the relevant law effective from September 27, sanctions can now be imposed even if a person is only ordered by the court to pay child support, without being ordered to be detained in a detention center or jail. This amendment will reduce the time required to decide on sanctions by up to a year.”


여근호 기자 yeoroot@donga.com