A member of the group Shinhwa, Lee Min-woo, who is about to marry, faced a practical problem and was frustrated. He had belatedly announced both his marriage and news of a second child and was preparing for the wedding with excitement, but he struggled with an unexpected legal issue. Lee Min-woo decided to adopt the fiancée's daughter as well and took steps to become "one family."
Lee Min-woo received many congratulations after he personally informed fans of his marriage news through a long handwritten letter in July. Lee Min-woo said, "After going through various recent situations and feeling mentally strained and exhausted, I spent a lot of time with my family and reconsidered the meaning of family. I had long harbored a vague desire to someday create my own home where we support each other. During that time, I confirmed mutual feelings with a precious person I had known for a long time, and we decided to become one family." Lee Min-woo is scheduled to hold his wedding with his fiancée in May next year.
With this, Lee Min-woo became the fourth married man among Shinhwa members, following Eric, Jun Jin, and Andy. Although the marriage news came as a surprise, congratulations poured in as Lee Min-woo is 46 this year. After announcing his marriage, Lee Min-woo also first revealed his fiancée on the KBS 2TV variety show Mr. House Husband, sharing his marriage story, which drew even more attention.
Before the wedding, Lee Min-woo began living in his parents' home with his fiancée and her 6-year-old daughter. The fiancée is a third-generation Korean living in Japan and was a single mother with a 6-year-old daughter. Before the wedding, Lee Min-woo helped his fiancée and her daughter adapt to life in Korea, and, with a second child expected in December, he carefully looked into maternity hospitals and postpartum care centers. This was revealed through Mr. House Husband and drew interest. Although there was some conflict about moving in with his parents, the family gradually adapted.
However, Lee Min-woo encountered an unexpected legal problem, faced reality, and felt frustrated. The issue concerned the daughter between the fiancée and her ex-husband. Because it involved a child, it was more sensitive and required caution, and Lee Min-woo ultimately decided on the unfamiliar but best option of "adoption" and worked to become a family.
On the episode of Mr. House Husband broadcast on the afternoon of the 11th, Lee Min-woo's decision to adopt was featured and became a topic of conversation. Lee Min-woo visited a community service center to issue a resident registration card for his third-generation Korean fiancée, who has Korean nationality but no resident registration card, and was shocked to learn that he would need to go through adoption procedures to legally become family with the 6-year-old daughter. Lee Min-woo candidly said, "When I heard the word 'adoption,' it felt unfamiliar and made me flustered. I was worried the word would make my fiancée even more uneasy."
Afterward, Lee Min-woo met family law specialist attorney Lee In-chul, who explained, "Generally, when a remarried household registers their marriage, they think the spouse's child is also part of the family, but legally that is not the case. They are merely cohabitants. To become family, you must go through adoption procedures." Especially when told that parental adoption requires the biological father's consent, both Lee Min-woo and his fiancée were taken aback. Faced with this unexpected reality, Lee Min-woo was briefly stunned, but he decided to pursue a "parental adoption" and reassured his fiancée.
In the end, the fiancée said in tears, "Raising my daughter alone and sorting out the family registry, parental rights, and custody took a lot of time. I thought it was over now, but hearing that the biological father's consent is still needed hurt my heart. I'm so grateful to Lee Min-woo, who has protected everything." To reassure his fiancée, Lee Min-woo decided to adopt and sought counseling as he prepared to become family. Eun Ji-won, who is also about to remarry, understood Lee Min-woo's feelings and offered support.
From the fiancée and daughter's adjustment to life in Korea to legal issues, attention is focused on how Lee Min-woo, who is preparing for a not entirely smooth wedding, will grow into a responsible head of household.
[Photo] OSEN DB, KBS 2TV broadcast screen capture.
[OSEN]