After controversy erupted over alleged infidelity and unpaid child support by the son of singer couple Hong Seo-beom and Cho Gap-kyung, Hong Seo-beom pushed back, saying, "We are still waiting for the ruling."
According to legal sources on the 26th, the Daejeon Family Court last September partially ruled in favor of the plaintiff in an alimony suit filed by A, the ex-wife of Hong, the second son of the couple Hong Seo-beom and Cho Gap-kyung, ordering, "Hong shall pay A 30 million won in alimony." The court also ordered him to pay 800,000 won per month in child support.
A, who had initially sought 100 million won in damages and 1.1 million won per month in child support from Hong, appealed the ruling. A also reportedly filed an alimony suit against the woman involved in the affair and won a ruling for 20 million won in payment.
According to the judgment, A met Hong, a temporary high school physical education teacher, through an acquaintance's introduction in Aug. 2021 and began dating, then started living together around Mar. 2022 at an unspecified location in Daejeon. The two later married in Feb. 2024, and A became pregnant in Mar. the same year.
However, about a month into the pregnancy, Hong allegedly had an affair with B, a fellow temporary teacher at the same school, leading to conflict with A. When A contacted B and demanded they stop seeing each other, Hong reportedly packed his things and left home.
At trial, Hong argued, "I did not commit an affair, and even if I had, the marriage was already irretrievably broken."
However, the court held, "Given that Hong had late-night phone calls with B from early Apr. 2024 and drank together or went to the movies, it is clear that A suffered emotional distress," adding, "The marriage broke down due to Hong's fault, including dating B."
A said she informed her parents-in-law, Hong Seo-beom and Cho Gap-kyung, multiple times by text message about her husband's affair, his leaving home, and the child's birth, but claimed they ignored her by not responding.
On the 24th, Hong Seo-beom appeared on the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute and said, "Watching my son and his wife go through marriage and divorce proceedings, I felt truly heartbroken and scolded my son a lot," but added, "The love and divorce of adults are not something I should meddle in, so I quietly watched, hoping it would be resolved amicably."
He continued, "After the first-instance ruling, my son first paid 20 million won of the 30 million won in alimony, and just as he was about to start paying child support, the other side filed an appeal," explaining, "My son's lawyer told him to hold off on child support until the trial is over, so we are waiting until the ruling comes out."