[Interview] Jeon Ju-won, Director of the Child Support Enforcement Agency, "Tears of Joy After Corporate Independence in 9 Years"

Launching as an Independent Corporation from September
"Unable to File Lawsuits Under Lee Haeng-won's Name Until Now"
Follow-up Bills on Advance Payments and Asset Inquiries Must Pass
"Small Amounts Will Provide Stable Support for Single Parents"

"It took a full 9 years from the establishment of the Child Support Enforcement Agency to its independence."

Jeon Juwon, head of the Child Support Enforcement Agency, said in an interview with Asia Economy on the 23rd at his office in Jung-gu, Seoul, "I was so happy when the independence bill passed that I shed tears."

The Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) was under the Korea Healthy Family Promotion Agency (KHFA), an institution under the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, to support claims and enforcement of child support for minor children. On February 29, the National Assembly passed a bill to establish the CSEA as an independent corporation and to sanction child support debt defaulters without detention orders. Starting this September, the CSEA will be designated as an independent corporation, separating from KHFA.

Director Jeon explained that the incorporation as an independent entity is expected to facilitate the process of claiming reimbursement lawsuits in child support cases. He said, "Until now, since the agency had no corporate status, even though temporary emergency child support was provided, it was impossible to file lawsuits in the name of the Child Support Enforcement Agency to recover reimbursement claims." He added, "Because lawsuits were filed under the name of the KHFA chairman, there were questions from the courts about whether proper review was conducted. If the case is dismissed, recovering reimbursement rights becomes nearly impossible."

The process leading up to the bill’s passage was not easy. He said, "It did not align with the current government's policy of ‘public institution innovation and efficiency’," and "The Ministry of Economy and Finance opposed it until the very end, but after much effort, it passed the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and cleared the plenary session hurdle." He also shared, "When Kim Do-eup, chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, said, 'Today we will pass this law,' I cried together with him." Alongside this, civic groups including the Child Support Resolution Coalition, which consists of child support victims, took to the streets in the cold winter to urge the passage of the related law.

However, not all procedures are complete. The National Assembly’s Gender Equality and Family Committee plans to propose an amendment to the “Act on Securing and Supporting Child Support Enforcement (Child Support Enforcement Act)” within this week, which includes the operation plan for a ‘child support advance payment system’ where the state advances unpaid child support and later recovers it from the non-custodial parent. The amendment is also expected to include provisions allowing the state to inquire about income and assets, including financial information, without the debtor’s consent when the state has advanced child support.

With the introduction of the child support advance payment system, the support target will expand compared to the current ‘temporary emergency child support system’ (from 75% or below of the median income of single-parent families with minors to 100% or below). According to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, from 2015 to last year, 3,146 minor children received temporary emergency support, and the number of advance payment recipients is expected to increase to about 19,000.

Regarding this, Director Jeon explained, "For the agency to claim reimbursement rights from debtors, it must have the authority to inquire about assets," adding, "Simply becoming an independent corporation does not grant additional authority." He said, "Many child support debtors hide their assets tightly, so to properly recover reimbursement claims, the agency must be able to find out where the assets are." He added, "The agency’s role is to quickly recover child support from such people so that it can reach the children."

[Photo by Yonhap News]

The agency is recently focusing on resolving ‘malicious debts’ from some child support debtors. Director Jeon said, "People do not apply for child support assistance from the agency immediately after divorce," and "Usually, they apply after not receiving child support for at least 2 to 3 years, and most have not received any child support for a total of 5 to 6 years."

Regarding the state’s ongoing advance payment system, both the agency and the recipients view it positively. He said, "Users said that even though the amount was small, 200,000 won allowed them to make plans, which was good," and "It is not an amount that completely stabilizes their livelihood, but at least it could be a mechanism to create a stable environment for the children."

Director Jeon expressed hope that the bill would pass in the National Assembly as soon as possible. He emphasized, "If it does not pass within the 21st National Assembly, the bill will be discarded," and "If it has to be prepared and proposed again in the 22nd Assembly, the situation might change, so I hope the bill passes within this session."