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- reporter, Gavin Butler
- reporter, BBC News
-
3 hours ago
In Korea, it was recently revealed that a famous actor had fathered a child with a woman outside of his marriage, sparking a national debate surrounding the celebrity’s behavior and non-traditional family structures.
On the 24th, famous movie actor Jung Woo-sung (51) announced through his agency that he is the biological father of the son recently born to model Moon Ga-bi (35).
Jung Woo-sung said he would “fulfill his responsibilities” as a father, but remained silent when asked about his plans to marry Moon. This sparked a strong backlash in conservative Korea, where out-of-wedlock births are taboo.
However, some people defend Mr. Jeong, saying that Korean society’s attitude toward various family types is also changing.
On the 22nd, Mr. Moon simply announced the birth news on his Instagram without mentioning the child’s father. She explained that the pregnancy was “unexpected” and that she was “unprepared for the news that came so suddenly.”
Two days later, Jung’s agency, Artist Company, issued a statement saying, “The child that Moon revealed through social media is Jung Woo-sung’s biological child.” He added that the two are “discussing the best way to raise the child.”
This news spread quickly, causing outrage. Numerous related articles were published, debates were sparked online, and even politicians spoke out.
First of all, most of the reactions online were critical of Mr. Jeong, a famous actor who built his career on several films.
Many netizens said that Mr. Jeong’s upright and very honest image was damaged, and some expressed disappointment that Mr. Jeong, who even served as a goodwill ambassador for the UN Refugee Organization, “does not accept his own children.”
On Naver News, Korea’s largest comprehensive news website, there was a comment that said, “Jung Woo-sung is pretending to be good, saying he will do all his duties… Children do not grow up with money alone.”
Another netizen said, “The problem is that they have a child and are not married. He left a comment saying, “The problem is that you have pretended to be an ethical person until now.”
In an anonymous interview with the conservative JoongAng Ilbo, a lawmaker from the right-wing People Power Party commented on Mr. Jeong’s decision to raise a child out of wedlock, saying, “It is unthinkable in terms of our society’s common sense.”
He pointed out, “No matter how times change, Korea’s traditions and national sentiments must be (righteously) preserved.”
Meanwhile, according to a recent survey conducted by the Korea National Statistical Office, the rate of acceptance of out-of-wedlock births was 37% of all respondents, an increase of nearly 15% since 2012.
Among those who said they must get married, more than 72% were over 60 years old, but the proportion dropped for younger respondents.
photo caption, Gabi Moon announced the news of childbirth through her Instagram.
Meanwhile, Lee So-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, defended Mr. Jeong, saying, “The decision to live with someone is a very existential decision.”
On the 26th, Rep. Lee expressed his belief on Facebook, saying, “The idea that we have to live as a couple with cohabitation and support obligations just because we had a child together is somewhat suffocating.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being ordinary… “Even though it seems like there are normal and similar standards in our society, in reality, they are all different.”
Rep. Lee added, “Wouldn’t a society in which such ‘differences’ be respected be a better society?”
The progressive Kyunghyang Shinmun emphasized in an editorial that although there are views that still pursue the traditional view of the family, “there are also growing voices that our society should think about various forms of family composition and childbirth methods.”
“It raises expectations that the disclosure of unmarried childbirth by famous celebrities such as Jung Woo-sung and Moon Ga-bi will help change the social atmosphere that is reluctant to give birth without marriage.”
The Korean entertainment industry is notoriously high-pressure, and celebrities are often held to excessively high social standards and judged harshly by the public.
Additional reporting: Juna Moon BBC Korea
