{"id":2080,"date":"2026-10-08T02:48:46","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T02:48:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/atlaw.kr\/en-blog\/divorce-interim-support-refund-south-korea\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T02:48:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T02:48:52","slug":"divorce-interim-support-refund-south-korea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atlaw.kr\/en-blog\/divorce-interim-support-refund-south-korea\/","title":{"rendered":"Interim Support Orders in South Korean Divorce Cases: Spousal Support Paid After the Divorce Becomes Final Can Be Recovered"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--  -->\n\n\n\n<!--  --><\/p>\n<p><!-- ATLAS_SEO_BLOCK_START --><br \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/atlaw.kr\/en-blog\/divorce-interim-support-refund-south-korea\/#article\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/atlaw.kr\/en-blog\/divorce-interim-support-refund-south-korea\/#webpage\"},\"headline\":\"Interim Support Orders in South Korean Divorce Cases: Spousal Support Paid After the Divorce Becomes Final Can Be Recovered\",\"description\":\"South Korea's Supreme Court held that when a divorce becomes final, the spousal support part of an interim order issued during the divorce suit lapses, and spousal support paid after that date is, absent special circumstances, unjust enrichment.\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-08T09:00:00+09:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-08T09:00:00+09:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"author\":{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/atlaw.kr\/soyoung-park\/#person\",\"name\":\"Soyoung Park\",\"alternateName\":\"\ubc15\uc18c\uc601\",\"jobTitle\":\"Representative Attorney\",\"worksFor\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/atlaw.kr\/#legalservice\"}},\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"LegalService\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/atlaw.kr\/#legalservice\",\"name\":\"Atlas Legal\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/atlaw.kr\"},\"about\":[\"Interim (pre-judgment) orders under Article 62 of the Korean Family Litigation Act\",\"Spousal support during divorce litigation in South Korea\",\"Unjust enrichment under the Korean Civil Act\",\"When a divorce judgment becomes final in South Korea\",\"Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113\"]}<\/script><br \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/atlaw.kr\/en-blog\/divorce-interim-support-refund-south-korea\/#faqpage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How long must support ordered by an interim order during a Korean divorce suit be paid?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"As a rule, until the end date stated in the order. But the Supreme Court of Korea held that when one interim order imposes several obligations, such as spousal support and child support, the end date must be assessed separately for each obligation. Even if the order runs until the judgment on the merits becomes final, the spousal support part lapses once the divorce becomes final and the spouse's right to support ends (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"If no one appealed the divorce itself, when does the divorce become final in South Korea?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"If other claims decided together with the divorce, such as property division, compensation for emotional distress or child support, were appealed, the divorce becomes final on the day the appellate court renders its judgment, not when the first-instance appeal period expires. The unappealed divorce claim is carried up to the appellate court, which blocks it from becoming final, but it is not under review there, so it becomes final as soon as the appellate judgment is rendered (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113; Supreme Court of Korea, April 27, 2001, 99Da30312).\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"If the appellate court sets lower child support with provisional execution, can the payer reduce payments under the interim order right away?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No. The Supreme Court of Korea held that a judgment on the merits with a declaration of provisional execution that differs from a final interim order does not by itself extinguish or change the interim order. In this case, the appellate court set child support at KRW 8 million a month with provisional execution, yet the child support part of the interim order was neither extinguished nor changed (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"If one lump sum covers both spousal support and child support, how is the refund amount determined?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The court must examine it. Once liability for unjust enrichment is established, a Korean court should actively ask the parties for proof even if their allegations and evidence on the amount are insufficient, and in some cases determine the amount on its own initiative (Supreme Court of Korea, June 14, 2012, 2012Da20819; Supreme Court of Korea, October 15, 2014, 2012Da15046). The Supreme Court told the appellate court on remand to do so if the spousal support part is hard to identify (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What happens if a party does not comply with an interim order in South Korea?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"An interim order is not enforceable by compulsory execution (Article 62(5) of the Family Litigation Act). Instead, if a party breaches it without justifiable reason, the family court may impose an administrative fine of up to KRW 10 million, on its own initiative or on the obligee's application (Article 67(1)). The Supreme Court of Korea held that an obligee who applied for a fine because interim child support was not paid may file an immediate appeal against the ruling on that application (Supreme Court of Korea, January 4, 2022, 2021Jeongseu502 (decision)).\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Do spouses still owe each other support while living apart during divorce litigation in South Korea?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"As a rule, yes. The Supreme Court of Korea held that even where the marriage has broken down and the spouses are separated and suing each other for divorce, the duty of support between spouses does not end, absent special circumstances, until the marriage is fully dissolved, for example by a final divorce judgment (Supreme Court of Korea, March 24, 2023, 2022Seu771 (decision)).\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Must all money received under an interim order be returned?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No. The Supreme Court upheld the dismissal of the refund claim for payments made from February 25, 2020 to February 17, 2022, before the divorce became final. For payments made after that, the child support part of the interim order remained in effect, and only the part corresponding to spousal support may be recovered (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What should foreign residents in IFEZ going through a divorce in South Korea take from this decision?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Check exactly when the divorce became final, ask that spousal support and child support be stated separately in any interim order, and keep paying the child support part until the order's end date. In this case, the lump-sum order made the split between the two the central issue from the first instance through the Supreme Court (Seoul Central District Court, December 20, 2023, 2022Gadan5369615 (main claim) and 2023Gadan5295476 (counterclaim); Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).\"}}]}<\/script><br \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":[\"LegalService\",\"LocalBusiness\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/atlaw.kr\/#legalservice\",\"name\":\"Atlas Legal\",\"alternateName\":[\"\ubc95\ubb34\ubc95\uc778 \uc544\ud2c0\ub77c\uc2a4\",\"Atlas Law Firm\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/atlaw.kr\/en\/home-en\/\",\"telephone\":\"+82-32-864-8300\",\"email\":\"info@atlaw.kr\",\"priceRange\":\"$$$\",\"address\":{\"@type\":\"PostalAddress\",\"streetAddress\":\"B-2901, 323 Incheon Tower-daero\",\"addressLocality\":\"Yeonsu-gu, Incheon\",\"addressRegion\":\"Incheon Metropolitan City\",\"postalCode\":\"22007\",\"addressCountry\":\"KR\"},\"geo\":{\"@type\":\"GeoCoordinates\",\"latitude\":37.399438,\"longitude\":126.629812},\"openingHoursSpecification\":[{\"@type\":\"OpeningHoursSpecification\",\"dayOfWeek\":[\"Monday\",\"Tuesday\",\"Wednesday\",\"Thursday\",\"Friday\"],\"opens\":\"09:00\",\"closes\":\"18:00\"}],\"areaServed\":[{\"@type\":\"Country\",\"name\":\"South Korea\"},{\"@type\":\"Place\",\"name\":\"Songdo International Business District\"},{\"@type\":\"Place\",\"name\":\"Cheongna International City\"},{\"@type\":\"Place\",\"name\":\"Yeongjong International City\"},{\"@type\":\"Place\",\"name\":\"Incheon\"},{\"@type\":\"Place\",\"name\":\"Seoul Metropolitan Area\"},{\"@type\":\"Place\",\"name\":\"Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ)\"}],\"knowsAbout\":[\"Divorce Litigation in South Korea\",\"Spousal and Child Support in South Korea\",\"Korean Family Litigation Act\",\"Unjust Enrichment Claims in South Korea\",\"Family Law Disputes for Foreign Residents in South Korea\",\"Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) Legal Services\"],\"serviceType\":[\"Divorce Litigation\",\"Spousal and Child Support Disputes\",\"Family Law Disputes\",\"Civil Litigation\",\"Legal Services for Foreign Residents\"]}<\/script><br \/>\n<!-- ATLAS_SEO_BLOCK_END --><\/p>\n<style>@import url('https:\/\/cdn.jsdelivr.net\/gh\/orioncactus\/pretendard@v1.3.9\/dist\/web\/static\/pretendard.css'); 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} .hero-info { font-size: 12px; } .content { padding: 28px 0 60px; } .toc-nav { margin-left: -14px; margin-right: -14px; border-radius: 0; border-left: none; border-right: none; padding: 12px 4px; margin-bottom: 28px; } .toc-label { font-size: 16px; } .toc-nav ol li { font-size: 14px; padding: 3px 0; } h2 { font-size: 20px; margin: 44px 0 10px; } h3 { font-size: 15px; margin: 24px 0 8px; } .lead-text { font-size: 16px; } .summary-text { font-size: 15px; } .context-text { font-size: 14px; } .formula { flex-direction: column; padding: 16px 12px; } .f-num { font-size: 18px; } th { font-size: 13px; padding: 8px 10px; } td { font-size: 13px; padding: 8px 10px; } .faq-q { font-size: 14px; } .faq-item p:not(.faq-q) { font-size: 14px; } .author-box { display: block; overflow: hidden; } .author-avatar { float: left; width: 36px; height: 36px; margin-right: 10px; border-radius: 50%; } .author-section-label { display: inline; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0; margin: 0 3px 0 0; } .author-name { display: inline; font-size: 14px; } .author-detail { clear: both; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.55; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 1px; } .author-detail ~ .author-detail { clear: none; margin-top: 2px; } .author-link { clear: both; display: block; font-size: 13px; margin-top: 8px; } p.closing { font-size: 14px; } }<\/style>\n<div class=\"hero\">\n  <span class=\"category-tag\">Family Law \u00b7 Divorce Litigation<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"hero-title\">Interim Support Orders in South Korean Divorce Cases<br \/>Spousal Support Paid After the Divorce Becomes Final Can Be Recovered<\/div>\n<div class=\"hero-meta\">\n<div class=\"hero-info\">\n      <strong>Soyoung Park<\/strong> \u00b7 Representative Attorney, Atlas Legal<br \/>\n      Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113 &nbsp;\u00b7&nbsp; partly reversed and remanded\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content\">\n<div class=\"direct-answer\">\n    <strong>Key answer:<\/strong> Under South Korean law, even if a family court orders a spouse to pay support &#8220;until the judgment on the merits becomes final&#8221; through an interim order during a divorce suit, the spousal support part of that order lapses when the divorce becomes final and the other spouse&#8217;s right to support ends. Spousal support paid after that date is, absent special circumstances, unjust enrichment, while the child support part stays in effect (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).\n  <\/div>\n<div class=\"toc-nav\">\n<p class=\"toc-label\">Contents<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#sec-1\">1. What happened in this case?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#sec-2\">2. What is an interim order in a Korean divorce suit?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#sec-3\">3. When does an interim order normally end?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#sec-4\">4. Why did the spousal support part end earlier?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#sec-5\">5. When exactly did the divorce become final?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#sec-6\">6. What can the paying spouse recover?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#sec-7\">7. What should spouses paying or receiving support under an interim order check?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#sec-8\">8. What does this mean for foreign residents in IFEZ?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#sec-9\">9. Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n<p class=\"lead-text\">Divorce litigation in South Korea can take years before every part of the judgment becomes final. In this case, the suit was filed in March 2016 and the last appeal was not resolved until June 2022. In the meantime, the family court issued an interim order requiring one spouse to pay KRW 18 million a month in support, an amount that covered the children&#8217;s support and all living expenses. The divorce itself, however, had become final earlier, in February 2022.<\/p>\n<p class=\"summary-text\">When a divorce becomes final, the duty of support between spouses ends. Could the paying spouse then recover what was paid after that date under an order that ran &#8220;until the judgment on the merits becomes final&#8221;? The first-instance court and the appellate court said no, treating the order as fully valid until the whole judgment became final. The Supreme Court of Korea held that the spousal support part of the order lapsed on the day the divorce became final, and partly reversed the appellate judgment (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).<\/p>\n<p class=\"context-text\">This article reviews the lead case, the appellate and first-instance judgments, and the Supreme Court precedents the Court relied on, all checked against the original judgment texts. It is relevant to anyone paying or receiving support under an interim order while a divorce case is pending in South Korea.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"sec-1\">What happened in this case?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"lead-text\">We refer to the spouse who paid as the plaintiff and the spouse who received the payments as the defendant. They registered their marriage in 2004 and have two children. The lead case and the first-instance judgment describe the following sequence (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113; Seoul Central District Court, December 20, 2023, 2022Gadan5369615 (main claim) and 2023Gadan5295476 (counterclaim)).<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Date<\/th>\n<th>Event<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>March 7, 2016<\/td>\n<td>The defendant sued the plaintiff for divorce and related relief; the plaintiff counterclaimed for divorce<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>December 20, 2016<\/td>\n<td>The defendant had applied for an interim order of KRW 28 million a month in support. The Seoul Family Court notified an order requiring the plaintiff to pay, &#8220;provisionally, until a settlement is reached or the judgment on the merits becomes final,&#8221; KRW 18 million a month from January 1, 2017 as support, including the children&#8217;s ordinary support, domestic medical and education costs, maintenance fees, vehicle costs and all other living expenses. The plaintiff&#8217;s appeals failed and the order became final<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>January 8, 2020<\/td>\n<td>The first-instance court granted the defendant&#8217;s divorce claim, named the defendant as the children&#8217;s custodial parent and ordered the plaintiff to pay child support<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Appeals<\/td>\n<td>The plaintiff did not challenge the divorce and appealed only the property division; the defendant appealed only compensation for emotional distress and child support<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>February 17, 2022<\/td>\n<td>The appellate court ordered child support of KRW 8 million a month from January 1, 2020 to April 28, 2024 and KRW 3 million a month from April 29, 2024 to January 15, 2027, with provisional execution<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>June 30, 2022<\/td>\n<td>Both sides&#8217; appeals to the Supreme Court were dismissed without further hearing (simni bulsokhaeng), and the judgment became final<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>February 25, 2020 to June 24, 2022<\/td>\n<td>The plaintiff paid KRW 18 million every month under the interim order<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>The plaintiff argued that because no one appealed the divorce itself, the divorce became final in effect once the first-instance appeal period passed, and the duty to support the defendant ended then. The plaintiff also claimed that KRW 10 million of each KRW 18 million payment was spousal support and the remaining KRW 8 million was child support, and sued to recover KRW 290 million in spousal support paid over 29 months as unjust enrichment (Seoul Central District Court, December 20, 2023, 2022Gadan5369615 (main claim) and 2023Gadan5295476 (counterclaim); Seoul High Court, May 29, 2024, 2024Na2004368 (main claim) and 2024Na2004375 (counterclaim)).<\/p>\n<p>The first-instance court dismissed the claim. It held that the phrase &#8220;until the judgment on the merits becomes final&#8221; could not be read as &#8220;until the divorce claim alone becomes final,&#8221; that the order did not separate spousal support from child support, and that the later setting of child support at KRW 8 million did not mean only KRW 8 million of the payments was child support. It also dismissed the defendant&#8217;s counterclaim for unpaid amounts under the order, reasoning in part that once the merits became final the interim order lapsed, so there was no substantive right to sue separately for amounts fixed in the order (Seoul Central District Court, December 20, 2023, 2022Gadan5369615 (main claim) and 2023Gadan5295476 (counterclaim)). The appellate court likewise held that the order stayed valid until the divorce case became final on June 30, 2022, and dismissed the plaintiff&#8217;s appeal (Seoul High Court, May 29, 2024, 2024Na2004368 (main claim) and 2024Na2004375 (counterclaim)).<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"sec-2\">What is an interim order in a Korean divorce suit?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"lead-text\">An interim order (sajeon cheobun, a pre-judgment provisional order) is a temporary measure a Korean family court takes before a family case such as a divorce is decided. If the court finds it particularly necessary to resolve the case, it may, on its own initiative or on a party&#8217;s application, prohibit changes to the status quo, order measures to preserve property, or make other appropriate orders, including for the care and upbringing of the persons concerned (Article 62(1) of the Family Litigation Act). Setting temporary living expenses or child support during a divorce suit is a typical example.<\/p>\n<h3>What effect does a final interim order have?<\/h3>\n<p>The Supreme Court of Korea has held that once an interim order under Article 62 of the Family Litigation Act becomes final, the legal relationship it describes is formed on a provisional basis; this formative effect binds everyone, arises at the moment the order becomes final and requires no separate act of enforcement (Supreme Court of Korea, July 23, 2009, 2008Da78996). The lead case starts from the same principle (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113). Put simply, money paid under a final interim order generally has a legal basis. That was one of the main reasons the lower courts rejected the refund claim (Seoul Central District Court, December 20, 2023, 2022Gadan5369615 (main claim) and 2023Gadan5295476 (counterclaim); Seoul High Court, May 29, 2024, 2024Na2004368 (main claim) and 2024Na2004375 (counterclaim)).<\/p>\n<h3>Can an interim order be enforced by compulsory execution?<\/h3>\n<p>No. Article 62(5) of the Family Litigation Act provides that such an order is not enforceable. Instead, if a party breaches an interim order without justifiable reason, the family court may impose an administrative fine of up to KRW 10 million, on its own initiative or on the obligee&#8217;s application (Article 67(1)). In a case where an obligee applied for a fine because interim child support under a final interim order was not paid and the application was rejected, the Supreme Court of Korea held that the obligee may file an immediate appeal against that ruling (Supreme Court of Korea, January 4, 2022, 2021Jeongseu502 (decision)).<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"sec-3\">When does an interim order normally end?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"lead-text\">As a rule, when the end date stated in the order arrives. The Supreme Court of Korea stated that the effect of an interim order, in principle, ends only when the end date specified in its operative part arrives (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113). Earlier case law likewise held that an interim order with a stated end date lapses when that date arrives (Supreme Court of Korea, July 23, 2009, 2008Da78996).<\/p>\n<h3>Does a different appellate judgment change the order immediately?<\/h3>\n<p>No. The plaintiff argued that an interim order is effective only until the judgment on the merits is rendered, so the appellate judgment setting child support at KRW 8 million with provisional execution took priority over the order (Seoul High Court, May 29, 2024, 2024Na2004368 (main claim) and 2024Na2004375 (counterclaim)). The Supreme Court rejected this. A judgment on the merits with a declaration of provisional execution that differs from a final interim order does not by itself extinguish or change the order. So the appellate judgment neither extinguished nor changed the child support part of the order, and it did not fix how much of the payments was spousal support (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Situation<\/th>\n<th>Effect on the interim order<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>The end date stated in the order (e.g., the judgment on the merits becoming final) arrives<\/td>\n<td>The order lapses (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113; Supreme Court of Korea, July 23, 2009, 2008Da78996)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>A judgment on the merits with provisional execution sets different terms<\/td>\n<td>The order is not automatically extinguished or changed (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>The spouse&#8217;s right to support underlying the order ends because the divorce becomes final<\/td>\n<td>The spousal support part lapses; the rest remains in effect (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"sec-4\">Why did the spousal support part end earlier?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"lead-text\">The key point of the lead case is that the Court looked at the interim order obligation by obligation. Where an interim order requires performance of several obligations, the end date of each must be assessed in light of the other party&#8217;s substantive right corresponding to that obligation. So if the divorce case is concluded and the spouse&#8217;s right to support underlying the order ends, the spousal support part of the order also lapses, and support paid after that is, absent special circumstances, unjust enrichment (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).<\/p>\n<h3>What did this interim order cover?<\/h3>\n<p>The order required payment of &#8220;support (including the children&#8217;s ordinary support, domestic medical and education costs, maintenance fees, vehicle costs and all other living expenses).&#8221; Reading that wording, the Supreme Court found that the payments included both support for the spouse (Articles 826(1) and 833 of the Korean Civil Act) and support for the children (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113). Article 826(1) provides that spouses must live together and support and cooperate with each other, and Article 833 provides that, absent a special agreement, spouses share the costs of their joint life.<\/p>\n<h3>When does the duty to support a spouse end?<\/h3>\n<p>When the divorce becomes final. The Supreme Court of Korea has held that even where the marriage has broken down and the spouses are separated and suing each other for divorce, the duty of support between spouses does not end, absent special circumstances, until the marriage is fully dissolved, for example by a final divorce judgment. It added that because property division rights arise only once a divorce is final, support needs before that point should be considered in separate support proceedings (Supreme Court of Korea, March 24, 2023, 2022Seu771 (decision)). Relying on that decision, the lead case held that when the divorce becomes final, the spouse&#8217;s right to support ends, and the corresponding part of the interim order ends with it (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).<\/p>\n<p>Child support, by contrast, is still needed after the divorce. Within the same order, therefore, the spousal support part ends with the divorce, while the child support part stays in effect until the end date stated in the order. That is why the Supreme Court found that the spousal support part lapsed earlier even though the order ran &#8220;until the judgment on the merits becomes final&#8221; (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"sec-5\">When exactly did the divorce become final?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"lead-text\">On February 17, 2022, the day the appellate judgment was rendered. The plaintiff argued it became final at the end of January 2020, after the first-instance appeal period, and the appellate court treated the divorce case as final on June 30, 2022, when the Supreme Court appeals were dismissed. The Supreme Court rejected both views (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).<\/p>\n<p>The divorce claim had been joined with the property division and other claims. Because the parties appealed those other claims, the divorce claim, though no one challenged it, was carried up to the appellate court as an inseparable part of the case and was blocked from becoming final. But since it was not challenged, it was not under review on appeal, and it became final as soon as the appellate judgment was rendered. The divorce therefore became final on February 17, 2022, and the defendant&#8217;s right to spousal support ended at about that time (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113). That an unappealed part of a judgment becomes final when the appellate judgment is rendered is also long-standing Korean civil procedure case law (Supreme Court of Korea, April 27, 2001, 99Da30312).<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Position<\/th>\n<th>Date the divorce became final<\/th>\n<th>Result<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Plaintiff<\/td>\n<td>January 31, 2020, after the first-instance appeal period<\/td>\n<td>No duty to pay spousal support from then on<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Appellate court<\/td>\n<td>June 30, 2022, when the judgment became final after the Supreme Court appeals were dismissed<\/td>\n<td>Whole interim order valid until then; claim dismissed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Supreme Court<\/td>\n<td>February 17, 2022, the day the appellate judgment was rendered<\/td>\n<td>Spousal support part paid from the next day is unjust enrichment<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"sec-6\">What can the paying spouse recover?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"lead-text\">The part of the payments made from February 18, 2022, the day after the appellate judgment, to June 30, 2022 that corresponds to support for the defendant as a spouse. Because the plaintiff&#8217;s duty of support and the spousal support part of the interim order had both ended, the Supreme Court held that this part could be regarded as paid without legal basis. It reversed the appellate judgment for that period and remanded it to the Seoul High Court (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Payments<\/th>\n<th>Supreme Court ruling<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>February 25, 2020 to February 17, 2022 (before the divorce became final)<\/td>\n<td>Dismissal of the refund claim upheld, although the Court noted that some of the appellate court&#8217;s reasoning was somewhat inappropriate<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Spousal support part of payments from February 18, 2022 to June 30, 2022<\/td>\n<td>May be regarded as paid without legal basis; reversed and remanded<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Child support part of payments after February 18, 2022<\/td>\n<td>Interim order still in effect; not refundable<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3>What if the spousal share was never specified?<\/h3>\n<p>The court must work it out. The interim order set one lump sum for both kinds of support, and the first-instance court rejected the plaintiff&#8217;s proposed split of &#8220;KRW 10 million for spousal support and KRW 8 million for child support&#8221; (Seoul Central District Court, December 20, 2023, 2022Gadan5369615 (main claim) and 2023Gadan5295476 (counterclaim)). The Supreme Court likewise held that the appellate court&#8217;s setting of child support at KRW 8 million did not fix the spousal support share. Citing precedent that, once liability for unjust enrichment is established, the court should actively ask for proof and, in some cases, determine the amount of loss or unjust enrichment on its own initiative even if the parties&#8217; allegations and evidence are insufficient, it instructed the court on remand to determine the amount on its own initiative if the spousal support part is hard to identify (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113; Supreme Court of Korea, June 14, 2012, 2012Da20819; Supreme Court of Korea, October 15, 2014, 2012Da15046).<\/p>\n<p>The lead case therefore did not fix the refund amount. The Seoul High Court will determine on remand how much of the payments was spousal support.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"sec-7\">What should spouses paying or receiving support under an interim order check?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"lead-text\">Atlas Legal reviewed the lead case and the lower court judgments and summarized the points to check when an interim order is in place during a divorce suit in South Korea.<\/p>\n<h3>If you are the paying spouse<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>First confirm when the divorce became final. Even if no one challenged the divorce itself, it becomes final on the day the appellate judgment is rendered if property division, compensation for emotional distress, child support or similar claims were appealed (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113; Supreme Court of Korea, April 27, 2001, 99Da30312). Spousal support paid from the next day may, absent special circumstances, be recovered as unjust enrichment (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).<\/li>\n<li>Be careful about reducing payments on your own. The child support part remains in effect after the divorce becomes final, and a different appellate ruling on child support does not by itself change the order (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113). Breaching an interim order without justifiable reason can lead to an administrative fine (Article 67(1) of the Family Litigation Act).<\/li>\n<li>When an interim order is being sought, ask that spousal support and child support be stated as separate amounts. In this case, the lump sum made the split between the two a contested issue from the first instance through the Supreme Court (Seoul Central District Court, December 20, 2023, 2022Gadan5369615 (main claim) and 2023Gadan5295476 (counterclaim); Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>If you are the receiving spouse<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Until the divorce becomes final, you can generally claim spousal support even while separated and in divorce litigation (Supreme Court of Korea, March 24, 2023, 2022Seu771 (decision)).<\/li>\n<li>Spousal support received under an interim order after the divorce becomes final may have to be returned. The child support part may still be received until the order&#8217;s end date (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).<\/li>\n<li>If amounts due under an interim order are not paid, you may apply for an administrative fine and, if the application is rejected, file an immediate appeal (Supreme Court of Korea, January 4, 2022, 2021Jeongseu502 (decision)). Note, however, that the first-instance court in this case found no substantive right to sue separately for amounts fixed in the order once the merits had become final (Seoul Central District Court, December 20, 2023, 2022Gadan5369615 (main claim) and 2023Gadan5295476 (counterclaim)).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For related decisions, see <a href=\"https:\/\/atlaw.kr\/en-blog\/national-pension-division-marriage-period-south-korea\/\">National Pension Division After Divorce in South Korea<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/atlaw.kr\/en-blog\/legitime-caregiving-gift-exclusion-south-korea\/\">Forced Heirship and Caregiving Gifts in South Korea<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"sec-8\">What does this mean for foreign residents in IFEZ?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"lead-text\">Foreign nationals living in the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ), including Songdo International Business District, Cheongna International City and Yeongjong International City, may become parties to divorce proceedings before a Korean family court, for example when married to a Korean national or when the couple&#8217;s life is based in South Korea.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Interim support orders under Article 62 of the Family Litigation Act often remain in place for years while a divorce case moves through the appeals. Know what the order covers and when it ends (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).<\/li>\n<li>The date a divorce becomes final can differ from what a party expects. Where other claims are appealed, it is the date the appellate judgment is rendered (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113; Supreme Court of Korea, April 27, 2001, 99Da30312).<\/li>\n<li>Keep records of every payment made under an interim order. If part of the payments later turns out to lack a legal basis, those records will be the starting point for calculating a refund.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"sec-9\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<div class=\"faq-item\">\n<p class=\"faq-q\">Q. How long must support ordered by an interim order during a Korean divorce suit be paid?<\/p>\n<p>A. As a rule, until the end date stated in the order. But the Supreme Court of Korea held that when one interim order imposes several obligations, such as spousal support and child support, the end date must be assessed separately for each obligation. Even if the order runs until the judgment on the merits becomes final, the spousal support part lapses once the divorce becomes final and the spouse&#8217;s right to support ends (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"faq-item\">\n<p class=\"faq-q\">Q. If no one appealed the divorce itself, when does the divorce become final in South Korea?<\/p>\n<p>A. If other claims decided together with the divorce, such as property division, compensation for emotional distress or child support, were appealed, the divorce becomes final on the day the appellate court renders its judgment, not when the first-instance appeal period expires. The unappealed divorce claim is carried up to the appellate court, which blocks it from becoming final, but it is not under review there, so it becomes final as soon as the appellate judgment is rendered (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113; Supreme Court of Korea, April 27, 2001, 99Da30312).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"faq-item\">\n<p class=\"faq-q\">Q. If the appellate court sets lower child support with provisional execution, can the payer reduce payments under the interim order right away?<\/p>\n<p>A. No. The Supreme Court of Korea held that a judgment on the merits with a declaration of provisional execution that differs from a final interim order does not by itself extinguish or change the interim order. In this case, the appellate court set child support at KRW 8 million a month with provisional execution, yet the child support part of the interim order was neither extinguished nor changed (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"faq-item\">\n<p class=\"faq-q\">Q. If one lump sum covers both spousal support and child support, how is the refund amount determined?<\/p>\n<p>A. The court must examine it. Once liability for unjust enrichment is established, a Korean court should actively ask the parties for proof even if their allegations and evidence on the amount are insufficient, and in some cases determine the amount on its own initiative (Supreme Court of Korea, June 14, 2012, 2012Da20819; Supreme Court of Korea, October 15, 2014, 2012Da15046). The Supreme Court told the appellate court on remand to do so if the spousal support part is hard to identify (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"faq-item\">\n<p class=\"faq-q\">Q. What happens if a party does not comply with an interim order in South Korea?<\/p>\n<p>A. An interim order is not enforceable by compulsory execution (Article 62(5) of the Family Litigation Act). Instead, if a party breaches it without justifiable reason, the family court may impose an administrative fine of up to KRW 10 million, on its own initiative or on the obligee&#8217;s application (Article 67(1)). The Supreme Court of Korea held that an obligee who applied for a fine because interim child support was not paid may file an immediate appeal against the ruling on that application (Supreme Court of Korea, January 4, 2022, 2021Jeongseu502 (decision)).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"faq-item\">\n<p class=\"faq-q\">Q. Do spouses still owe each other support while living apart during divorce litigation in South Korea?<\/p>\n<p>A. As a rule, yes. The Supreme Court of Korea held that even where the marriage has broken down and the spouses are separated and suing each other for divorce, the duty of support between spouses does not end, absent special circumstances, until the marriage is fully dissolved, for example by a final divorce judgment (Supreme Court of Korea, March 24, 2023, 2022Seu771 (decision)).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"faq-item\">\n<p class=\"faq-q\">Q. Must all money received under an interim order be returned?<\/p>\n<p>A. No. The Supreme Court upheld the dismissal of the refund claim for payments made from February 25, 2020 to February 17, 2022, before the divorce became final. For payments made after that, the child support part of the interim order remained in effect, and only the part corresponding to spousal support may be recovered (Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"faq-item\">\n<p class=\"faq-q\">Q. What should foreign residents in IFEZ going through a divorce in South Korea take from this decision?<\/p>\n<p>A. Check exactly when the divorce became final, ask that spousal support and child support be stated separately in any interim order, and keep paying the child support part until the order&#8217;s end date. In this case, the lump-sum order made the split between the two the central issue from the first instance through the Supreme Court (Seoul Central District Court, December 20, 2023, 2022Gadan5369615 (main claim) and 2023Gadan5295476 (counterclaim); Supreme Court of Korea, October 1, 2026, 2024Da255113).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"closing\">This article summarizes Korean court decisions on recovering spousal support paid under an interim order during divorce litigation, based on published judgments, and is not legal advice for any particular case. The lead case partly reversed and remanded the appellate judgment, and we have not confirmed how the Seoul High Court determined the refund amount on remand. The wording of interim orders and the course of divorce litigation differ from case to case, so please consult Atlas Legal about your specific situation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"author-box\">\n    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/atlaw.kr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/\ubc15\uc18c\uc601-1.png\" alt=\"Soyoung Park, Representative Attorney \u2014 Atlas Legal\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-text\">\n<div class=\"author-section-label\">About the Author<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-name\">Soyoung Park | Representative Attorney<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-detail\">Family Law, Inheritance, Construction &amp; Real Estate Disputes<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-detail\">Judicial Research and Training Institute, 33rd Class<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-detail\">Korea University, Department of Law<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-detail\">Atlas Legal | Incheon Songdo, South Korea<\/div>\n<p>      <a class=\"author-link\" href=\"https:\/\/atlaw.kr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Visit Atlas Legal Homepage \u2192<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>South Korea&#8217;s Supreme Court held that spousal support under an interim order lapses once the divorce is final, so later payments may be recovered.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[998,999,996,997,433],"class_list":["post-2080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-civil","tag-divorce-litigation","tag-family-litigation-act-article-62","tag-interim-support-order","tag-spousal-support","tag-unjust-enrichment"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Interim Spousal Support Refund in South Korea | Atlas Legal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" 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