Forty-nine child support obligors will be punished for refusing to pay for their children’s basic living expenses, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced Friday.

The ministry has revealed on its website the names of two noncustodial parents who did not pay the court-ordered expenses and requested a travel ban on 17 obligors and a driver’s license suspension for another 30.

The punitive measures against such noncustodial parents were first imposed in October, following the amendment of the Act on Enforcing and Supporting Child Support Payment that came into effect in July.

The personal information will remain public for three years and only be taken off in cases of the obligor’s death, bankruptcy or if the person goes missing. The name will also be withdrawn from the list if the obligor fulfills the obligation.

As of Friday, there were a total of 151 obligors on the ministry’s shame list.

According to the ministry, the punitive measures have been effective, having encouraged noncustodial parents who reject to provide for their children to pay off the accumulated support expenses.

The government lifted a driver’s license suspension of a parent who paid back all the accumulated expenses belatedly after making the list. It also lifted the travel ban on another parent who paid back some of the accumulated expenses to the creditor and showed a will to provide more regularly.

Four obligors have appealed against the ministry, citing financial reasons to maintain their driver’s license. In response, the ministry lifted the suspension request for the three who paid back some of the accumulated expenses and promised to provide more regularly in the future.

Separately, the ministry hopes to lower the standard of foreign travel limit request for the obligors from the current 50 million won ($38,831) to 30 million won.



By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)