Jung Woo-sung Acknowledges Paternity: Child Support Details Revealed

Actor Jung Woo-sung (정우성), 51, has confirmed that he is the father of a son born to model Moon Ga-bi (문가비), 35. This revelation has sparked interest in the child support obligations and parental rights that Jung will have moving forward.

On November 26, attorney Ryu Hyun-jung from the law firm Seum stated to Chosun.com that Jung will be required to pay child support once he completes the legal acknowledgment process. Acknowledgment, or '인지', refers to the act of a biological parent recognizing a child born out of wedlock as their own. If a parent fails to voluntarily acknowledge the child, a court can enforce acknowledgment through a legal claim.

Moon Ga-bi reportedly informed Jung of her pregnancy in June of last year, and she gave birth to their son in March. While Jung's agency has not commented on any plans for marriage, they have stated, "We will take full responsibility for the child."

Given that Jung is a non-custodial parent, how much child support will he be required to pay? Typically, child support is determined through mutual agreement between parents, taking into account various factors such as income, assets, the child's age, and living conditions.

According to the latest child support guidelines revised by the Seoul Family Court in 2021, the average child support amount ranges from a minimum of 621,000 KRW to a maximum of 2,883,000 KRW, depending on the combined income of the parents and the child's age. This guideline is used not only by the Seoul Family Court but also serves as a standard across family courts nationwide. Under current law, child support must be paid until the child reaches the age of 19.

For parents with a combined income in the highest bracket (over 12 million KRW per month), the average child support for a child aged 0-2 years is approximately 2,207,000 KRW, with a minimum of 2,152,000 KRW. As the child grows, the support amount increases; for children aged 15-18 years, the average support is 2,883,000 KRW, with a minimum of 2,712,000 KRW.

However, these guidelines are not applied uniformly. Factors such as the parents' financial situations, the child's living area, and additional expenses like medical and educational costs can lead to adjustments in the total child support amount.

A recent external evaluation report released by Jung's agency, Artist Company, indicated that Jung and fellow actor Lee Jung-jae (이정재) received a total of 504 billion KRW from the company over the past three years. If they split this amount evenly, Jung's earnings from advertisements and dramas would be around 8.4 billion KRW per year.

Based on the child support guidelines, it is estimated that Jung and Moon Ga-bi will exceed the highest income bracket. Attorney Ryu noted that many professional couples often surpass the highest income thresholds in the guidelines, suggesting that if both parties agree, the child support amount could be set significantly higher than the standard.

Typically, child support is divided based on the income ratio of the custodial and non-custodial parents, but this can vary widely based on mutual agreements. Thus, it is possible that Jung may end up paying more than the calculated amount based on income ratios.

Discussions regarding parental rights and custody are expected to take place after the acknowledgment process is completed. Family law expert Kim Mi-ru (김미루) stated on YTN's 'Jo In-seop's Counseling Center' that since Jung's paternity is not yet legally established, he will need to either voluntarily acknowledge the child or face a legal claim from Moon Ga-bi to formalize their father-child relationship before custody, child support, and visitation rights can be determined.

Currently, without marriage or a common-law relationship, and with no acknowledgment process underway, it is difficult to consider them as joint custodians. After the acknowledgment process, there will be a procedure to designate the custodial and parental rights. Typically, it is more suitable for the welfare of the child for these rights to be assigned to one parent rather than jointly.

Once Jung completes the acknowledgment process, the child will also gain inheritance rights. According to Article 1009 of the Civil Code, direct descendants such as children and grandchildren are first in line for inheritance alongside a spouse. If there is no spouse, the direct descendants inherit solely. If Jung's child is his only offspring and he does not remarry, the child could potentially inherit Jung's estate entirely under legal inheritance laws.