At the beginning of this year, actress Lee Si-young revealed that she became pregnant with her second child through in vitro fertilization without her ex-husband's consent, causing controversy. In this regard, a lawyer with a background as a judge expressed that 'there could be legal responsibilities at issue.'
On the 8th, Lee Hyun-gon, a lawyer with a background as a judge from the Seoul Family Court, stated through his personal social media that 'regarding Lee Si-young, I received inquiries from reporters and have organized the legal aspects,' adding that 'if the child is born, they will not be regarded as a child born during marriage, so a recognition process must be followed.'
Lee Hyun-gon noted, 'The biological father can directly acknowledge the child, or a paternity lawsuit can be filed. Legal father-child relationships are established through acknowledgment.' He added, 'When the legal father-child relationship is established, all rights and obligations arise, such as parental rights, custody rights, visitation rights, and inheritance rights. The obligation to provide child support also naturally arises.'
He pointed out regarding Lee Si-young's act of undergoing in vitro fertilization alone without her ex-husband's consent, saying, 'However, there could be legal responsibilities at issue regarding the childbirth through in vitro fertilization without the ex-husband's permission.' He concluded, 'The relationship between the parties and the father-child relationship are separate issues.'
Earlier, on this day, Lee Si-young confessed through social media that she became pregnant with her second child through in vitro fertilization with her ex-husband. She mentioned, 'We prepared for the second child with in vitro fertilization during our marriage, but time passed without implantation, and eventually, discussions about divorce naturally occurred.' She continued, 'As all legal relations approached conclusion, the expiration date of five years of embryo freezing was nearing. After contemplating whether to discard it, I decided to undergo the implantation myself.'
Lee Si-young added, 'Although the other party did not agree, I will fully take responsibility for this decision,' stating, 'I did not want to repeat the regrets I felt through Jeong-yoon and was reminded of the reason for being called 'mom' once again.'
Regarding the second pregnancy, her ex-husband, Mr. Jo, told Dispatch that 'it is correct that I did not agree to the second pregnancy. However, since the second child has been conceived, I am trying to fulfill my responsibilities as a father.'
In the meantime, Lee Si-young married businessman Mr. Jo, who is 9 years her senior, in 2017 and gave birth to their first child in 2018. The two concluded their eight-year marriage earlier this year.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]