What to take care of after the divorce is final

Count from the date the judgment became final or the date mediation succeeded.

• For a judicial divorce, report the divorce within 1 month of the date it became final, attaching a certified copy of the judgment and a certificate of finality. The other spouse may also file the report.
• If there was a decision setting the person with parental authority, also report the person with parental authority within the same period.
• Obtain several copies of the judgment, the certificate of finality and the original mediation record. You will keep using them for registration, at banks and at schools.
• Reporting late can lead to an administrative fine of up to KRW 50,000.

If the judgment or mediation record sets a transfer of real estate, you can apply for the ownership transfer registration on your own using that record (Real Estate Registration Act Article 23(4)). If you delay and the other spouse acquires other creditors in the meantime, things get complicated.

The name on a loan does not change by the judgment alone; the financial institution's approval is needed. Also change the policyholder and beneficiary on insurance, the name on vehicles, and automatic payments for utilities.

If property division (재산분할) is to be paid in installments, record the date and amount each time money comes in. If a payment is late even once, making a written demand right away helps later compulsory execution. Real estate received through property division may be taxed differently when you sell it later, so check before selling.

Notify the other parent in writing of the account for receiving child support (양육비), and keep a separate record of deposits. If you tell the school and daycare about the change of guardian and contact details, and the hospital about the change of legal representative, you will avoid trouble over consent later.

For visitation (면접교섭), schedule the first visit as written in the record, and keep a record of later schedules and changes by message.

If the children are still registered as dependents under the other parent's health insurance, ask the National Health Insurance Service whether they can be moved to the parent actually raising them. If there are bank accounts or insurance in the children's names, also settle who will manage them.

Pension claim deadlines feel far off at the time of the divorce, so they are easy to miss. Print your pension coverage records and keep them with your divorce documents, and note when your former spouse is expected to retire. If a separate division ratio was set, you must also keep that record to report it to the pension service.

• If property division was not decided, it must be claimed within 2 years of the date of divorce.
• For a split National Pension (분할연금), if you divorced before reaching the pension age, you can file an advance claim within 3 years of the divorce, and once all requirements are met, you must claim within 5 years.
• A split civil service pension is claimed within 3 years of meeting the requirements.

If money is not paid, you can seize deposits and wages using the judgment or record, and you can also apply for a performance order (이행명령). For child support, there are direct payment orders and detention, and if the other parent will not let you see your child, there is a performance order for visitation. See also our guides 'When your ex won't pay the child support set at the divorce' and 'When your ex won't let you see your child (visitation)'.

Having a certificate of execution attached to the original judgment speeds up applications for seizure. If the other spouse hides assets, apply for an asset disclosure order (재산명시) and asset inquiry (재산조회) to first find the assets to seize.

At Jisan Law, we organize the reporting and pension claim schedule that remains after the judgment, and also handle applications for ownership transfer registration based on the judgment or record. If the other spouse does not comply, we continue with compulsory execution and performance orders. If questions come up after the judgment, contact us through the chat on this page.