I want to resolve this amicably, for the child's sake."
Seo Eun-woo (formerly Seo Min-jae), who appeared in 'Heart Signal 3', shared the details of her conflict with her boyfriend, A, whom she identified as the father of her child. In an exclusive interview with OSEN, eight days after revealing her pregnancy on social media, Seo Eun-woo expressed her unfair feelings, saying, "In the end, what returned was a lawsuit."
On 15th, Seo Eun-woo met at OEN Law Office in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, and explained in detail the process from when she learned of her pregnancy until now. Wearing a cap and a black mask during the interview, she slowly recalled the past month.
Seo Eun-woo first introduced her relationship with A, stating that they had been dating for about seven months since last year. Although they had not been in a long-term relationship, it was serious enough for her to introduce him to her parents, and he even attended Seo Eun-woo's sister's wedding.
Seo Eun-woo learned of her pregnancy in mid-April. When she informed her boyfriend A, he said he would respect her decision and asked for time, and after deep consideration, Seo Eun-woo decided to give birth. The two agreed to share the news of her pregnancy with their parents and discuss marriage and childbirth, but Seo Eun-woo received a response from A's parents saying, "If you give birth, we will cut ties with (our son)."
Seo Eun-woo retorted, "Doesn't that mean you're telling me to terminate the pregnancy?" Ultimately, on April 30, both sets of parents, along with Seo Eun-woo and A, arranged to have a conversation. During this time, Seo Eun-woo said she heard from A's parents, "We never said to terminate (the pregnancy). Do as you wish, but even if you give birth, it will not be registered." Seo Eun-woo continued, "Telling me to do as I please regarding childbirth while saying you won't register the child is, as a father, denying the child's existence, isn't it?"
Despite an hour-long conversation, no conclusion was reached, and A's parents left, stating that the parties should resolve the issue themselves. Subsequently, on May 2, A told Seo Eun-woo, "Because you're acting this way and your mother is getting angry, I won't talk to you anymore, and if you give birth, I will take legal responsibility." This led to a complete breakdown in communication.
Ultimately, the method Seo Eun-woo chose was to continue contacting A via social media. After revealing her pregnancy on social media and visiting A's house, Seo Eun-woo requested a meeting by honking her horn, but received no response at all. The next day, she received texts from A saying, "Don't come here," "Don't contact me," and "I'm scared," and she lamented that afterward, no further contact occurred. Seo Eun-woo noted that specific parts needed to be discussed for the child's upbringing, and for that, contact was essential, but communication was cut off, and instead, she faced a lawsuit, leaving her with no actions to take.
Seo Eun-woo continued to post on social media, trying to encourage contact with A, but on the 4th, A filed a lawsuit against her for violating the Stalking Punishment Act, violating the Information and Communications Network Act (defamation), confinement, and assault, and she received contact from the opposing party's lawyer.
Seo Eun-woo recounted her shock at that time, saying, "The lawyer contacted me, mentioning stalking and pressuring me by saying that because it's a probation period, isn't it dangerous? I emphasized that it's a probation period. That's separate from this, right?" In fact, Seo Eun-woo was sentenced to 10 months in prison with a 2-year probation for a methamphetamine usage charge last January.
She stated, "A said he would take responsibility for the child, but there was no consideration for the possibility that I, the child's mother, could get incarcerated, which was shocking."
A's side distributed a statement through the media while filing a lawsuit against Seo Eun-woo. A's legal representative, Law Firm Roel, stated in an official statement, "On the 2nd, Seo Eun-woo posted several photos directly exposing A's face and personal information on her social media. From the 3rd, she has been posting text messages that may appear as if A unilaterally stopped contacting her immediately after learning about the pregnancy, along with details including workplace and address."
They countered, stating, "After hearing the news of the pregnancy, A has been continuously communicating with Seo Eun-woo to discuss the future and informed his parents of the situation truthfully. He has never evaded responsibility." Rather, A's side claimed that Seo Eun-woo had called him dozens of times since the 29th of last month, questioning statements A did not make, and even visited A's house on the 30th, honking the horn for about five minutes until he came down.
Additionally, they stated, "A was confined after being brought to her residence and was even subjected to violence," explaining that "In such circumstances, A determined that legal action was unavoidable and plans to hold Seo Eun-woo legally accountable." They also noted that harmful and defamatory comments about A have been confirmed on comments of Seo Eun-woo's social media posts as well as various online platforms, and are considering separate responses to this, requesting Seo Eun-woo to cease illicit conduct towards A.
Seo Eun-woo expressed her thoughts upon seeing A's statement, saying, "I was most upset. I thought I could defend myself, but even if they might not give me a heads-up, at least I wanted to discuss things regarding the child, but instead, I was pressured because it's a probation period, and due to stress, I bled once and went to the hospital, and I have to have ultrasounds weekly."
Seo Eun-woo remarked, "There is a basic economic responsibility, but I think emotional responsibility is also necessary," clarifying that "I only asked for some form of communication, such as accompanying me to the hospital or checking on the child's condition, and I never demanded money or suggested marriage." She added, "Saying that they cannot register the child while claiming they would take legal responsibility doesn't make sense. I want to hear their stance on that."
Seo Eun-woo explained, "What I requested through text wasn't immediate financial support. It was just help with hospital visits and checking on the child's condition. I hoped that later the child would know about their father, so there needed to be a communication channel for that. I'm not demanding money, nor am I suggesting marriage... I actually trusted my boyfriend's words, and that's why I decided to give birth, and when I made that decision, it was already late in the pregnancy. In a way, I feel betrayed by someone I trusted."
Seo Eun-woo revealed her feelings of shock, stating, "The wound from that is deep, and I hoped for at least some minimal display of duty, comfort, or apology regarding that. But the only action taken was a lawsuit."
Seo Eun-woo shared that the sudden change in A's attitude was the most confusing aspect for her. She stated, "He said he would respect my decision and take it seriously. When I said I would give birth, he said he would take responsibility and talk to his parents, but his attitude changed suddenly."
Seo Eun-woo reiterated, "I had no intention to attack," emphasizing, "I didn't want to be this exposed either. But I had no other choice. I've received so much hate, and honestly, it's extremely difficult. I just wanted to talk."
She continued, "I didn't want to post on Instagram from the beginning. I tried to negotiate, communicated through parents, and even confronted him. But ultimately, what returned was a lawsuit, so I reached out via Instagram because I couldn't get in touch."
She stated, "I didn't want to post on Instagram right away from the beginning. I made attempts to negotiate, persuaded him, communicated through parents, even tried to approach strongly. Ultimately, it returned as a notification, hence I posted it on Instagram. Since there was no response, it was a request to have someone help facilitate contact given that it was so difficult to reach out."
Along with that, Seo Eun-woo cautiously opened up about the message she wanted to convey to A. She expressed, "After all, it's his baby, and no matter the situation, for the sake of the baby, I hope he can reconsider his thoughts, and if he has even a minimal sense of humanity, I want to have a conversation. That's all; I have no intention to attack or harm him, and this is such an extreme method that it doesn't feel good for me either, but it was my best option. I hope he understands that."
She further added, "I feel I might have been harmed, and the police investigation will look into this matter, but that is separate from this. I want to resolve this amicably for the child's sake."
[Photo] SNS
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