(Following interview ①) Seo Eun-woo (formerly Seo Min-jae) of Heart Signal 3, who gave birth and is raising her child alone, said she is pursuing a paternity confirmation lawsuit against the child's biological father, and reiterated that she wants to communicate with the child's father.
Seo Eun-woo met with OSEN on the morning of the 18th at O&N Law Office located in Law and The City, Seocho-dong, Seocho District, Seoul, and during the interview she talked about her recent situation and her relationship with the child's biological father, who has remained silent even after the child's birth.
Earlier, in May last year, Seo Eun-woo sparked controversy when she revealed her premarital pregnancy and disclosed the face, name, alma mater and employer of the child's father and former lover, Mr. A. In response, Mr. A filed a complaint accusing Seo Eun-woo of violating the stalking punishment law, confinement and assault, and violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (defamation). Both sides are currently engaged in legal disputes.
Amid ongoing legal disputes, Seo Eun-woo gave birth to a son alone in December last year. However, she still has no communication with the biological father and continues to raise the child by herself.
Meeting OSEN again about 10 months later, Seo Eun-woo said the lawsuits that were underway at the time are still ongoing. She said, "Some of the criminal charges filed by Mr. A against me resulted in non-prosecution decisions, and the other party has filed a civil lawsuit claiming mental damages seeking compensation. Given the limits of responding directly while raising a baby alone, I am proceeding with legal assistance."
Seo Eun-woo said she is not taking any separate legal action against Mr. A at this time. She said she has only filed a paternity confirmation suit against the child's father.
Seo Eun-woo said, "There are many times I want to give up because the lawsuit is difficult, but others told me this is the child's right. They said I have a responsibility to do this as a mother no matter what, so I continue to proceed," adding, "If paternity is confirmed later, I think we will have to pursue a child support lawsuit. Contrary to reports by the other side that they are uncontactable, if they claim they will accept legal responsibility, I think they should show a willingness to communicate, even through a legal representative, to discuss that responsibility. I hope the procedures my legal representatives have requested will be followed as soon as possible."
Seo Eun-woo said she filed the paternity confirmation suit in February. She explained, "Online, there are comments asking whether Mr. A is really the father and questioning whether the biological father is certain. I thought it would be good to clear up those rumors and obtain confirmation from a credible institution to prove the parent-child relationship. There is no possibility that he is not the biological father, but legally we need to prove it, and it is the right thing for both parties to do, so we are proceeding. The lawsuit will take about three to four months."
Resuming an interview after 10 months was surely not easy. Seo Min-jae said, "To this day I have not filed any complaint against the other party. I am more concerned about the child's safety than my own rights. I want to protect the child's rights and show that I, as a mother, did my best." She explained her reason for agreeing to the interview: "Many people in situations similar to mine have contacted me, and I thought that explaining my situation in more detail might help them get through it. I also felt the need to correct fabricated falsehoods spreading online."
When asked specifically what parts differ from the facts, she emphasized, "There are claims that I went ahead with the birth despite the biological father's opposition. People ask whether I had the baby for child support, but no one gives birth just to receive child support. And the claim that I went ahead with the birth despite the biological father's opposition is different."
She reiterated the sequence of events, saying, "When I informed him of the pregnancy, both sides had enough time to consider it, and he agreed with my decision that 'I don't want to get rid of the baby,' so I informed both families. But after he told me he would 'cut ties if the baby is born,' his behavior changed from actively trying to maintain the relationship during our dating period, and the situation has now reached this point."
She added, "It was a relationship with marriage in mind, and I was even attending graduate school, so if I got pregnant I would have had reason to worry. But after hearing the baby's heartbeat, I wanted to give birth, and the other party initially said he would go along with the decision, so we proceeded. Saying it was because of money hurts the child and that hurt feels like the greatest wound."
She said, "If the child had not existed, I might have stepped back no matter what. As a mother, there are things I will need to explain when the child grows up, and there are things I think should be addressed that were not done. The reason I focus on defending rather than fighting is that I hope the child will be less hurt later if they believe the biological father intended to fulfill his duties. I expect the biological father to be cooperative."
Asked what was the hardest part of giving birth and raising the child besides the entwined lawsuits, she said, "It is the ongoing psychological pressure. A relatively recent example is that I posted a photo of the child on my personal SNS, expressing affection and encouraging myself about life with the caption 'Cheer up, the two of us (heart),' and the other party claimed this was an attack against him and filed a complaint."
She continued, "This is a time when I should be devoting myself to child-rearing and focusing on the child's growth, and my body has not yet recovered, yet I have to continue to endure these situations. Ironically, I think I am enduring this situation thanks to the child," expressing both gratitude and apology to the child.
She said, "Overall, parenting is difficult and I feel a great deal of guilt. Raising the child alone is physically exhausting, and emotionally the case keeps coming back to me just as I start to recover and relax, and then unbelievable accusations come in. When I receive those, I sometimes break down mentally. I try to endure for the child's sake, but I think my mental health needs to be well for the child to be influenced positively."
In addition, Seo Eun-woo's side delivered a statement to OSEN reiterating that she wants to communicate with the child's biological father. According to the statement, O&N Law Office, which represents Seo Eun-woo, said, "What Seo Eun-woo has consistently requested is basic conversation and consultation about the child's birth and child-rearing. However, specific consultations or conversations regarding the child's birth and child-rearing have not yet taken place," adding, "Consultation and communication between parents after a child's birth are above all important for the child's welfare and rights."
It also said, "Seo Eun-woo hopes that both parties will engage in sincere dialogue for the child's sake, not an expansion of legal disputes or exchanges of opinions through the court," and "Seo Eun-woo sincerely hopes that an amicable agreement with the biological father will be reached so the child will not suffer unnecessary wounds in the future regarding his birth. The door to dialogue is always open. We hope sincere discussions that prioritize the child's welfare and rights will take place."
[Photo] Reporter Ji Hyung-jun, provided by Seo Eun-woo
[OSEN]