"I Was Finally Able to Buy a School Bag for Middle School"... Advance Child Support Payments Bring Relief to Single Parents

Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Holds On-site Communication Meeting on Advance Payment System
System Launched in July; Eligibility Criteria Eased in September
Single Parents Say, "Even a Small Amount Is Helpful"

"My eldest child is entering middle school this year. Thanks to the advance child support payment, I was able to buy the bag she wanted, and I feel much more at ease."

Ms. A, a woman in her 40s raising three children alone, spoke to a reporter on December 16 at the Government Seoul Complex ahead of the on-site communication meeting for the advance child support payment program. Ms. A receives 200,000 won per child every month through the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family’s "Advance Child Support Payment Program." She said, "My ex-spouse notified me that he would pay 2.1 million won every month after the divorce, but I actually received it only about twice." She added, "I found out about the advance payment program through the news and decided to apply."

Yonhap News Agency

The advance child support payment program is a system in which the government first provides child support to single-parent families who have not received it, and then later collects the amount from the non-custodial parent. After its initial implementation in July, the application requirements were eased in September to address blind spots in the system. Previously, only those who had not received any child support for the past three months could apply, but after the revision, those whose average monthly child support is less than the advance payment amount also became eligible. Ms. A was able to apply for the advance payment due to this improvement, as her ex-spouse, who owed child support, would occasionally send small amounts such as 300,000 won or 100,000 won per month, which previously disqualified her from applying.

Although some consider the 200,000 won support insufficient, Ms. A expressed her gratitude even for that amount. She recalled the time when she was not receiving any child support, saying, "I had to leave my youngest, who was just one year old, with someone else until 9 or 10 p.m. and took any job I could find, whether it was working as a restaurant part-timer or doing dishes," her eyes welling up with tears. She continued, "Even if the advance payment is less than the child support I was supposed to receive, it is still helpful. The children's father ignores them, so I am truly grateful that the government provides this support."

Mr. B, a man in his 50s, is also receiving advance child support payments for his four children. After his divorce in 2016, he did not receive a total of 200 million won in child support. He said, "My eldest had to take a promotion test at a Taekwondo academy, but I couldn't send him because I didn't have 110,000 won for the test fee. With both the single-parent support and the advance payment, I now receive 1.7 million won every month, which is a significant amount. I consider it as if the government is giving me a salary, and I am always grateful."

As direct users of the advance child support payment program, both Ms. A and Mr. B pointed out areas for procedural improvement. Ms. A said, "Accessing the system itself is difficult, and it seems to be overloaded. You can't tell which stage your application is at during the process, so you just have to keep waiting." She suggested, "It would be helpful if the complaint system for child support and lawsuits were easier to use, and if there were a way to check eligibility before applying." Mr. B added, "It would be good to expand access to psychiatric counseling so that single parents can share the emotional burden of raising children alone."

According to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, a total of 5,963 households applied for the advance child support payment between July of this year and the end of last month, and advance payments were approved for 3,868 households. The total amount paid out was approximately 5.45 billion won.

The process of recovering advance payments from child support debtors who have not paid will begin in January next year. The Child Support Enforcement Agency will notify and urge the debtors to repay the advance payments, and if they do not comply, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will obtain approval from the minister to collect the amount through compulsory collection procedures similar to those for national taxes.