[Old & New] Looking at history of extramarital children… What do institutional mothers think?

[Yonhap News reference photo]

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Senior Reporter Kim Jae-hyun = Former President Park Geun-hye, who is unmarried, was plagued by rumors that she had a secretly hidden child before being removed from office by impeachment. In 2007, during the presidential primary of the Grand National Party, when allegations of a secret birth arose, she claimed her innocence by saying, “I will even do a DNA test.”

Even during the impeachment crisis, former President Park suffered from disputes over a love child. She had to officially deny again the rumors that Jeong Yoo-ra, a former national equestrian representative, was her love child, stating that it was “a truly appalling, sleazy lie.”

Jeong Yoo-ra is the daughter born between Jeong Yun-hoo, who was chief of staff when former President Park was the party representative, and Choi Seo-won (formerly Choi Soon-sil), but the opposition party’s aggressive campaign on the birth issue persisted.

▶ Former President Park was not the only one who experienced controversy over love children. Former Presidents Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung faced individuals who claimed to be their love children, and even during his term, former President Roh Moo-hyun could not escape rumors about having a love child during his time as a lawyer.

Former President Park Chung-hee was entangled in rumors that he had a son with high-class courtesan Jeong In-sook, who died from a gunshot wound in a car in 1970, but it was later revealed to be fake news. Jeong In-sook’s son filed a belated paternity confirmation lawsuit against a former speaker of the National Assembly and later withdrew it.

There are also high-ranking officials who faced difficulties due to controversy over love children. Former Gwangju Mayor Yoon Jang-hyun was swindled out of 450 million KRW by a voice phishing scammer impersonating Kwon Yang-sook, claiming “Former President Roh’s love child is struggling in Gwangju” and requesting help.

Former Prosecutor General Chae Dong-wook resigned six months after being appointed following a media report that he had a love child amid the investigation into the ‘National Intelligence Service’s comment incident’ during the Park Geun-hye administration.

[Yonhap News reference photo]

▶ Although it is still similar today, even in the Joseon Dynasty, love children were not protected within the system. If the status of a concubine was a commoner, the child was called a “so-ja,” and if the concubine was a slave, the child was called an “eol-ja,” and could enjoy children’s rights and enter government service, but to be incorporated into the ranks of legitimate children, a father’s recognition was needed. If the father denied paternity, the love child had to live according to the mother’s status.

However, the king’s children were excluded from the status of love children. If a court lady received the king’s favor and bore a child, she became a concubine. A concubine’s son could receive the title of “gun” and be in the line of succession alongside sons born of the queen.

▶ With actor Jung Woo-sung being revealed as the biological father of model Moon Ga-bi’s son, attention is drawn to the issue of love children. Jung Woo-sung acknowledged the son as his own and stated he would fulfill his responsibilities as a father, but the reality in Korea is that love children struggle even to receive child support.

Political circles are suggesting using the Jung Woo-sung controversy as a catalyst to improve marriage-related systems, such as introducing ‘PACS’ (Civil Solidarity Pact) practiced in some European countries like France.

While there are arguments that various welfare benefits are needed for births out of wedlock to overcome the world’s lowest birth rate crisis, there is doubt whether social consensus can be achieved at this point. The voices of religious groups and the larger number of institutional mothers need to be considered.

jahn@yna.co.kr