Jung's paternity reveal exposes where Korea stands on extramarital babies

Actor Jung Woo-sung’s recent admission that he fathered a child with model Moon Ga-bi has reignited conversations in South Korea about societal attitudes toward children born out of wedlock.

While Jung pledged to fulfill his responsibilities as a father without pursuing marriage, the public response has been largely critical, highlighting the nation’s deeply conservative stance on non-traditional family structures.

Many online users criticized Jung for his decision not to marry Moon. One commenter on the nation’s largest search engine Naver labeled him a “selfish do-badder” for avoiding marriage while fulfilling his sexual desires, garnering 1,053 likes. Another remarked, “He never dated but got a baby. He doesn’t want to get married but wants to raise the child. That’s nonsense.” This comment received 500 likes.

Some even linked it to Jung’s former role as a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ambassador. One comment read, “He advocates for accepting refugees but can’t accept his own child,” accumulating 634 likes.

Moon, who chose to have the child, has not been spared from criticism. Some commenters pitied the child, noting that they would grow up outside the conventional family structure due to the irresponsible actions of Moon and Jung.

The local reactions contrasted with those of foreign commenters on The Korea Herald’s Instagram page. Many international users offered congratulations and did not blame Jung’s decision not to marry Moon.

One user, 04mo08mo, commented, “Good for them. Don’t get married for the sake of the child. That would have been an unhappy marriage.” Another, amyl9098, said, “Glad they are staying matter-of-fact about this. If (South Korea) wants to boost its birth rate having children out of wedlock needs to be considered acceptable. Children can be loved and flourish in a non-traditional setup.”

Local cultural critics have noted that Jung’s public image may suffer.

Popular culture critic Ha Jae-geun said, “Korea remains deeply conservative regarding issues between men and women. Public disappointment in Jung Woo-sung, who has maintained a clean image, will be significant. In Korea, there’s an expectation that fathers take full responsibility beyond just financial support.”

Statistics Korea reported that 10,900 babies were born out of wedlock in 2023, accounting for 4.7 percent of total births -- the highest number since 1981 when such data collection began. The trend has been steadily increasing, with 7,700 such babies in 2021 and 9,800 in 2022.

Despite this growth, Korea’s proportion of babies born out of wedlock remains significantly lower than in OECD countries. In 2020, the proportion was 62.2 percent in France, 49 percent in the UK, 41.2 percent in the US and 36.5 percent in Australia.

While negative attitudes persist, perceptions surrounding marriage and parenthood have been gradually changing, especially among younger generations.

According to a 2024 social survey released on Nov. 19, 42.8 percent of respondents in their 20s said they could have a child without being married, marking a 12.5 percentage point increase from 2014. The proportion of respondents in their 20s who believe marriage is essential dropped from 51.2 percent in 2014 to 39.7 percent in 2024.