1. Reason for the Revision

The Crime Victims Protection Act was revised (Law No. 20433; promulgated on September 20, 2024; effective from March 21, 2025) to newly introduce a system for the installment payments of crime victim relief funds and to expand the scope of eligibility for crime victim assistance to include foreigners who are spouses of Korean nationals and/or are raising children born in a marriage (including common-law marriage) with Korean nationals. The revision aims to provide the matters delegated by the Act and the matters necessary for their enforcement, including the interest rate for installment payments and the scope of long-term stay status that foreigners must possess.

2. Main contents

a. Interest rate for installment payment (Article 2-3 of the draft)

The interest rate to be applied for installment payment of crime victim relief funds will be the “COFIX based on new loans” most recently published by the National Banking Association as of the date the installment payment decided.

b. Scope of foreigners' eligibility based on stay status (Article 5-2 of the draft)

The revision aims to provide foreigners with long-term stay status, other than the accompanying spouse visa (F-3), who are spouses of Korean nationals or have raised children born in a marriage (including common-law marriage) with Korean nationals, and grant them eligibility to receive the relief funds regardless of mutual guarantees.

c. New and changed application form for relief fund (attached Form 9, attached Form 11, and attached Form 11-2 of the draft)

The revision newly establishes a relief fund application form that must be submitted by the survivors of victims who have died after applying for disability and serious injury relief funds but before receiving their payment. It also improves the related forms, including the provision of informative clauses concerning the scope of documents that foreigners without a reciprocal guarantee from their home country must attach when applying for relief funds.