By revealing that he is the father of a child born out of wedlock, the South Korean actor awakens a persistent taboo in this conservative society.
Jung Woo-sung, one of South Korea's most prominent actors, apologized on Friday (November 29) for having conceived a child out of wedlock, sparking criticism in this country with conservative family values.
“I am truly sorry, to everyone who showed love and believed in me, for the worry and disappointment I caused,” Jung Woo-sung said at the Blue Dragon ceremony Film Awards in Seoul.
His agency previously revealed that he was the father of 35-year-old model Moon Ga-bi's son, born last March. The latter had recently announced that she had become a mother, without disclosing the identity of the father.
“I will accept and endure all criticism. As a father, I will assume my responsibilities towards my son until the end,” said the 51-year-old actor, who has been one of his country's star actors since his debut in the 1990s.
Described as “irresponsible”
According to local media, model Moon Ga-bi wanted to marry Jung Woo-sung in order to “give her child a family”, but the actor refused. Although the actor assured that he would act like a father, his silence around this supposed marriage earned him strong reprimands, with many calling him “irresponsible” while single mothers and their children are still stigmatized in South Korea. South, socially conservative country.
The 50-year-old had long been spared scandals and cultivated a good image, playing the role of ambassador for the United Nations Refugee Agency for almost ten years, until July. A hat that his detractors have turned against him.
“He talked so much about (welcoming) refugees and yet he made his own son a refugee,” one user commented on the page of a news site.
Fewer children, fewer marriages
South Korea has the lowest birth rate in the world, with 0.72 children per woman in 2023. Only 4.7% of births there are outside of marriage, one of the lowest figures in a panel of 38 developed countries where the average is around 40%.
At the same time, the number of marriages is also falling. According to experts, the very strict legal definition of what a family is in South Korea may explain these phenomena.
They point out in particular the very rare cases of adoptions accepted for an unmarried adult, the impossibility for unmarried women to resort to sperm donation and the non-legal recognition of marriage between people of the same sex.
“The reality is that everyone is unique,” said opposition parliamentarian Lee So-young, defending other forms of family structure for her country, having seen her parents divorce as a child.
“A society that respects these differences would undoubtedly be a better society, no?” added the member of the Democratic Party.
