Some divorced parents in Korea have failed to pay child support for more than 20 years, with unpaid amounts in some cases exceeding 300 million won, according to government data.
A total of 366 defaulters were subject to public disclosure over the past three years, the Child Support Agency under the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Wednesday. Their combined unpaid child support reached 17.31 billion won, averaging 47.3 million won per person. The largest individual unpaid amount stood at 344.3 million won.
The average period of nonpayment was five years and six months. Cases ranged from as short as seven months to as long as 20 years and seven months. The average age of defaulters was 44.
Among those whose occupations were confirmed, salaried workers accounted for the largest group with 59, followed by daily wage laborers with eight and self-employed individuals with seven. Two corporate executives were also included.
Sanctions against child support defaulters have risen each year, climbing from 359 cases in 2022 to 639 in 2023, 947 in 2024 and 1,389 last year.
"We will further strengthen counseling, litigation support, debt collection and asset seizure together with the Child Support Agency, the dedicated institution," a ministry official said.
