As local reports said the late Taiwanese actor Barbie Hsu's estate could total about 133 billion won, the camp of her ex-husband, Chinese businessman Wang Xiaofei, issued its position on the inheritance partitioning and controversy over the Taipei home.
According to Taiwanese outlet ETtoday and others on the 8th (local time), Wang Xiaofei's side, through an attorney, explained the procedures for Barbie Hsu's estate inheritance and plans to manage the portion of assets for the children.
Wang Xiaofei's side said that of the estate left by Barbie Hsu, the two minor children will legally inherit two-thirds, and her husband, Koo Jun-yeob, will inherit the remaining one-third.
Legal steps to protect the rights and interests of the two children are also underway. Wang Xiaofei's side applied to the court for the appointment of a special representative, and said an attorney designated by the court is currently handling the estate partitioning process.
The inheritance assets to go to the children will be managed through a separate account. Wang Xiaofei's side said it opened a trust-only account to safely preserve the children's share of the estate.
Regarding Koo Jun-yeob's inheritance equity, they said it is a matter to be handled according to his own plan and expressed respect for that decision.
They drew a line under the recently raised possibility of an auction of Barbie Hsu's Taipei home, saying it is not true. Wang Xiaofei's side said that even after Barbie Hsu passed away, Wang Xiaofei has continued to support repayment of the home mortgage that the two children must shoulder, and that the property is not currently at risk of going to auction.
Barbie Hsu's mother is reportedly living in the dwellings. On this point as well, Wang Xiaofei's side explained, "We have never asked her to move."
Some local media estimated that if you add the real estate Barbie Hsu owned while alive to the assets she received through partitioning in her divorce from Wang Xiaofei, her total assets could reach about 133 billion won. However, this is a media estimate based on known assets, and the actual aggregates of the estate have not been officially confirmed.
Wang Xiaofei's side said it will handle the estate inheritance, asset management, and the two children's housing issues with the children's best interests as the top priority. They also asked to refrain from reports and speculative claims that are not based on facts.
Meanwhile, Barbie Hsu married Wang Xiaofei in 2011 and had two children, but they divorced in 2021. She later reunited with her former boyfriend, Koo Jun-yeob of the group Clon, and married in 2022.
Barbie Hsu suddenly passed away at 48 from pneumonia due to influenza during a family trip to Japan in February last year.