As news broke that actress Kim Min-hee (42) is pregnant with director Hong Sang-soo's (64) child, legal experts have speculated that the illegitimate child could inherit the director's wealth.
Recently, YTN Radio's 'Lawyer Jo In-seop's Consultation Room' discussed the news of Hong Sang-soo and Kim Min-hee's second child.
Lawyer Kim Mi-ru stated, "The two are not legally married. The child to be born will not be born within a marriage. It will be registered as Kim Min-hee's child, and afterwards, director Hong Sang-soo can become the father through the acknowledgment process."
Regarding the inheritance of the director's property by this illegitimate child, she said, "Just like in the case of Jung Woo-sung, an illegitimate child is still a child, so they will naturally inherit the property. According to Article 1 of the Civil Act, if they are direct descendants, they will be heirs."
Previously, it was rumored that director Hong inherited 120 billion won from his late mother, Jeon Ok-soon. Hong's mother was a well-known figure in the film industry, recognized as the first female film producer in the public arts sector and was also involved in publishing in Japan.
Lawyer Kim stated, "The basic inheritance ratio is 1.5 for the spouse and 1 for the children, but since various factors need to be considered when inheriting, the legal inheritance share does not necessarily have to be that way." She added, "If director Hong leaves a will stating that he can give all his property to Kim Min-hee and the illegitimate child, the current spouse may only be able to claim a portion of the inheritance."
Meanwhile, director Hong and Kim Min-hee developed a romantic relationship after meeting during the filming of the movie 'Right Now, Wrong Then' in 2015. The two acknowledged their affair in 2017, and since then, Kim Min-hee has only appeared in Hong's works.
The two have collaborated on films such as 'On the Beach at Night Alone', 'After' (2017), 'Claire's Camera', 'Grass' (2018), 'Hotel by the River' (2018), 'The Woman Who Ran' (2020), 'The Novelist's Film', 'Top' (2022), 'In Water', 'Our Day' (2023), and 'Suyucheon' (2024).
Director Hong married in 1985 and has a daughter. He later filed for divorce from his wife but lost the case in 2019. At that time, the court ruled, "Since the main responsibility for the breakdown of the marriage lies with Hong Sang-soo, his request for divorce is not permitted."
On the 17th, reports emerged that Kim Min-hee is pregnant with director Hong's child. According to entertainment media Dispatch, Kim Min-hee's expected due date is this spring, and the two have been spotted visiting an obstetrician together.
