[Exclusive]Hong Seobum's Son's Affair Lawsuit, Former Daughter-in-Law Partially Wins; Supreme Court Finalizes Ruling

*This content was translated by AI.

Hong Seobum and Cho Kap-kyung's former daughter-in-law has secured a final partial victory in her lawsuit for damages over the dissolution of a de facto marriage, which reached the Supreme Court.

According to StarNews, the Supreme Court’s Special Division 1 (acting) issued a ruling on the 10th dismissing Hong Seobum and Cho Kap-kyung's former daughter-in-law A's lawsuit against B, Hong Seobum and Cho Kap-kyung's son, for damages arising from the dissolution of their de facto marriage due to lack of procedural grounds.

A dismissal for lack of procedural grounds means that when an appeal or retrial request does not include specific reasons stipulated by law, it is rejected without a substantive hearing. As a result, the second-instance judgment has been finalized.

In September 2024, A filed the lawsuit, claiming that B committed adultery during their marital life, leading to the breakdown of their relationship. A revealed with shock that B began an inappropriate relationship with a fellow teacher just one month after she became pregnant.

Subsequently, in September 2025, the first-instance court ruled that B was at fault, ordering him to pay 30 million won in solatium and 800,000 won per month in child support. However, A rejected the verdict and appealed, continuing a legal battle with B over whether his parents had neglected their duties and failed to provide child support.

The Daejeon Family Court's Civil Division 2 (acting), which handled the second instance, also ruled in favor of the plaintiff on June 25, granting partial victory to A. Nevertheless, A refused to accept this outcome as well. Consequently, A filed an appeal against the second-instance judgment in July.

Throughout the legal proceedings, A did not hide her anger toward the family.

Shortly after the second-instance ruling, A stated, "Is there really no law for victims? Even if I receive solatium, I have to pay more because money was given under the guise of investment, and child support remains unchanged. Will those perpetrators who appear on health programs, attend school well, and prepare for employment be helped to live comfortably?"

She continued, "That's why there are so many affairs. If adultery were still a criminal offense, he could have been arrested, and I would feel relieved. It's so unjust." She added, "Why must the victim suffer more and lose out? There is evidence that was not even uncovered; do I really have to hide it?"

A also said, "The mistress was scared and had her friend's father threaten me. I pray she passes this year's employment exam. I will inform the Education Office about everything. How can someone commit adultery in a school with many students and still act like a teacher?"

Later, A posted, "Send the child support." When netizens asked for updates on her situation, she replied, "It's just so unjust," and "Ignore my messages."

Notably, A drew public attention by discussing the lawsuit through YouTube's "Yurae-ro" (Horizontal-Vertical Research).

A stated, "Some people view my intention to bring this matter to light negatively. However, one reason I wanted to expose it is that my life has been completely ruined. I cannot properly raise the baby, and I work day and night. Yet, seeing them appear on broadcasts without any concern is unbearable." She added, "They show no reaction on TV, ignore everything, and have never contacted me once."

She further said, "Telling me not to use my child's bloodline for emotional manipulation sounds insane and makes me furious. I appealed the first-instance ruling only regarding solatium and child support; I did not appeal the adultery itself. B also did not file an appeal."

With tears in her eyes, A claimed, "Hong Seobum and Cho Kap-kyung have always appeared as good parents on broadcasts, but they were not like that to me. While they never even saw their own granddaughter, they spent happy times with their niece or nephews abroad, acting as if nothing happened. It's something I cannot even put into words."

Meanwhile, after the lawsuit became public, Hong Seobum and Cho Kap-kyung apologized, saying, "We deeply apologize to the public for the disappointment and inconvenience caused by recent reports of our son's divorce lawsuit. After returning to Korea, we personally reviewed the court documents and the progress of the divorce proceedings, confirming with grave concern that there were significant discrepancies between what we had been told and the actual situation."

The couple added, "Regardless of the facts, we chose not to interfere in our adult son's divorce process out of respect for his privacy and autonomy. However, as parents, we failed to closely examine our child's mistakes, which was a significant shortcoming. As public figures who did not set a good example, we sincerely reflect on this." They continued, "Although the other party's appeal is still ongoing, we will strictly instruct our son's legal representative to ensure that his obligations under the first-instance ruling, including child support and solatium, are fulfilled as soon as possible. Above all, we fully respect the other party's decision regarding the birth and upbringing of our granddaughter and will remain by our son's side to ensure he fulfills his responsibilities as a father until the end."

Responding to this statement, A remarked, "They're apologizing not to the public but to themselves and their family. They only apologize publicly because it caused a stir." She added, "Looking at their statement, they say 'very different from my claims?' No, everything is true; they'll speak ambiguously because they don't want to admit it and feel embarrassed. But this is their son's fault. Apologize properly for what you did to me and my family. It's a fake apology, a forced apology. Their shameless attitude remains unchanged. I've been exposing this on broadcasts for three years now. Please, everyone, help us not let them disappear easily."

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*This content was translated by AI.