Singer Hong Seo-beom and Jo Kap-kyung's eldest son, Hong Seok-jun, reportedly divorced amid allegations of an affair, and he voiced grievances about excessive criticism and guilt by association.
Recently, a YouTube channel posted a video containing claims by A, who divorced Hong Seok-jun, the son of Hong Seo-beom and Jo Kap-kyung, that her husband had an affair while she was pregnant.
A said she married Hong Seok-jun, the son of Hong Seo-beom and Jo Kap-kyung, in February 2024 and became pregnant in March, but she alleged her husband, a contract physical education teacher, had an inappropriate relationship with a female colleague. A filed for divorce eight months after the marriage, and the court recognized Hong Seok-jun's affair as the cause of the breakdown, ordering him to pay 30 million won in alimony and to pay 800,000 won monthly in child support until the child reaches adulthood. A said she also received recognition of 20 million won in consolation money in a damages suit she filed against the woman identified as the other woman.
However, A said she has not received a single won of the alimony or child support to date, and she claimed communication was cut off after she sent photos of the child to Hong Seo-beom and Jo Kap-kyung, who did not respond.
Hong Seo-beom and Jo Kap-kyung said they feel wronged. In an interview with the channel, Hong Seo-beom denied the ex-daughter-in-law's claim that he had been indifferent, saying he only watched and hoped the children's matters would be resolved amicably. He also emphasized that, to help resolve the situation, he directly provided 20 million won of the 30 million won alimony on behalf of his son, a contract teacher who is not financially well-off.
Hong Seo-beom strongly denied that he was avoiding responsibility regarding the 'nonpayment of child support,' explaining that after the first-instance ruling he tried to pay the alimony but the other party appealed, and his lawyer advised withholding payment until the judgment is final, so he has been waiting. In particular, Hong Seo-beom said his son once lent 30 million won to his ex-wife, and although that debt could have been offset against the alimony, he wanted to resolve matters cleanly and therefore planned to give the alimony separately.
Rather than blindly shielding his son, Hong Seo-beom focused on correcting the facts and expressed fatigue at being criticized simply for being a parent. Hong Seo-beom said he does not have the luxury of checking how his children live every day and that it is a matter between the two, and he voiced mental stress and grievance at the family being demonized after the real names of him and his wife, Jo Kap-kyung, who are public figures, were mentioned.
Although the ruling has not been finalized, sensational revelations by the ex-daughter-in-law and the YouTube channel have led to not only the son Hong Seok-jun but also Hong Seo-beom, Jo Kap-kyung and their daughters being branded as immoral. In particular, although the parties involved are the adult son and daughter-in-law, the blame has been directed at Hong Seo-beom and Jo Kap-kyung because they are parents and public figures. Rather than being swept up in one-sided revelations and public outrage, it is time to wait for the facts to be legally clarified through the appeals court ruling.
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