Insurance money can be garnished in Korea, but the part needed for living and treatment is protected. Civil Execution Act Article 246(1)7 protects benefits under protection-type insurance paid for death, injury, illness or accident (including surrender values and maturity refunds), with the range set by Decree Article 6: death benefits up to 15 million won, all of any benefit covering actual costs such as treatment, surgery and hospital bills, half of other treatment or recovery benefits, and up to 2.5 million won of surrender values and maturity refunds. A surrender value produced by a creditor cancelling the policy is protected in full.
1. Death benefits up to 15 million won and all actual-cost treatment cover are protected (Decree Art. 6(1)1, 2(a)).
2. Other treatment or recovery benefits: half (item 2(b)).
3. Surrender and maturity refunds up to 2.5 million won; all of a surrender value from a creditor’s cancellation (items 3, 4).
Checker
Updates as you type. For protection-type insurance only. Death benefits, surrender values (other than creditor cancellation) and maturity refunds are added across policies before the cap; other treatment benefits are halved per policy (Decree Art. 6(2)) — enter them already summed per policy.
Decree Article 6
| Type | What the source says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Para. (1) item 1 | Death benefits of 15 million won or less | Cap after adding policies |
| Item 2(a) | Benefits covering costs actually incurred for treatment and recovery — medical bills, treatment, surgery, hospital stays, medicines | In full |
| Item 2(b) | Half of other treatment and recovery benefits | Per policy |
| Item 3(a) | Surrender values arising when a creditor exercises the right to cancel by subrogation (Civil Act Art. 404) or under a collection or assignment order | In full, per policy |
| Items 3(b), 4 | Surrender values arising otherwise, up to 2.5 million won; maturity refunds up to 2.5 million won | Cap after adding policies |
With two or more policies, death benefits, surrender values under 3(b) and maturity refunds are added across policies before the cap, while the half under 2(b) and creditor-cancellation values under 3(a) are worked out per policy (Art. 6(2)). The article was revised on 27 January 2026.
Four checks — our example
| Case (our example) | Protected | Worth noting (our sum) |
|---|---|---|
| Death benefit 30 million won | 15 million won | The other 15 million can be seized |
| Actual-cost cover 3 million + diagnosis benefit 4 million | 5 million won | 3 million in full + half of 4 million |
| Surrender value 6 million, cancelled by the policyholder | 2.5 million won | 3.5 million can be seized |
| Same 6 million, cancelled by the creditor | 6 million won | Item 3(a) — in full |
Whether a diagnosis benefit covers “costs actually incurred” or falls under “other” depends on the policy wording, so the checker asks you to split them. Treating the diagnosis benefit as 2(b) is only our example.
Protection-type insurance only; savings-type refunds are outside this provision. Tracing unclaimed insurance is in unclaimed insurance money; wages in wage garnishment calculator.
If it’s already in the bank
Article 246(2) has the court cancel the order for amounts under items 1 to 7 transferred into the debtor’s account, on the debtor’s application. Insurance benefits are item 7, so this applies.
Checklist
- ☐ Is it protection-type insurance?
- ☐ Which kind: death / actual costs / other treatment / surrender / maturity
- ☐ Who cancelled it — a creditor’s cancellation is fully protected
- ☐ With several policies, separate what’s added from what’s per policy
Questions that remain
Is the policy itself safe if I keep paying?
Item 3(a) protects all of a surrender value from a creditor’s cancellation. Whether the contract survives is outside these provisions.
What about motor liability payouts?
We read only the Civil Execution Act and Decree; other Acts’ protections weren’t checked.
Sources
- Korean law database (law.go.kr) — Civil Execution Act Art. 246(1)7, (2) — source (current text, effective 1 February 2026, Act No. 20733; checked 21 October 2026). Protection-type insurance benefits (including surrender and maturity) and cancellation for transferred amounts.
- Korean law database — Civil Execution Act Enforcement Decree Art. 6 — source (effective 1 February 2026, Decree No. 36056; para. (1) revised 27 January 2026; checked 21 October 2026). Death 15 million, actual costs in full, other half, surrender and maturity 2.5 million, creditor cancellation in full, multiple policies.
- Not read. Other Acts’ protections; policy-by-policy classification.
- What we added. The “worth noting” column and the Korean everyday gloss.
Where to check further
- Your policy terms — whether each benefit covers actual costs.
- Korea Legal Aid Corporation — applications to cancel an order.
Written on 21 October 2026. The content is from the source; the glosses are ours.
