고의로 양육비 안 주면…‘징역 1년→3년’ 강화 추진

A total of 264 individuals, known as "bad parents," have faced sanctions such as being barred from leaving the country, having their driver's licenses suspended, and public listing, for refusing to pay up to 28 million won in child support. The government is proposing to increase the maximum prison sentence for such individuals from one year to three years.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family held a 52nd meeting of the Child Support Enforcement Review Committee on the 25th, deciding 322 measures against the 264 delinquent parents. The Child Support Enforcement Act, which permits penalties for those who fail to pay child support, allows imprisonment of up to one year and fines of up to one million won if legal action has been taken but the debt remains unpaid after 30 days, or if the same person has failed to pay child support three times or more, with a combined delinquency exceeding 30 million won.

The most significant delinquency recorded was 28 million won, with an average of approximately 4.5 million won. During the first eight months of this year, 1,042 cases of delinquent child support payments were decided, a 31.6% increase compared to the same period last year (792 cases). To strengthen responsibility for child support payments, the government is also strengthening criminal penalties for those who intentionally fail to pay.

The Child Support Enforcement Act, under the Guardianship Act, currently prescribes imprisonment of up to one year and fines of up to one million won if legal action has been taken but the debt remains unpaid within a year. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family plans to shorten this to '6 months' from the date of legal action and increase the maximum penalty to three years of imprisonment or three million won in fines.

They also intend to expand the target range for requesting foreign entry records, provide information on overpayments of child support, and enhance collaboration with the Korea Tax Agency. The Ministry's Secretary-General stated that child support is not merely a financial debt but a fundamental responsibility of parents to ensure the safe and healthy upbringing of their children.

The government aims to clarify responsibility for intentional non-payment while continuously improving the effectiveness of the child support enforcement system.