"Cannot Predict Innocence, More Personal Information Disclosures Expected" Bad Fathers Activist Koo Bon-chang [Interview]

No Guilty Verdict for Operators of 'Bad Fathers' Site Revealing Child Support Non-Payers
Court: 'Public Interest' Outweighs 'Defamation' Purpose
Activist Koo Bon-chang: "Parents Seeking Child Support Help Line Up"
"More Disclosures Expected Following Not Guilty Ruling"

'Bad Fathers' activist Koo Bon-chang. Photo by Seunggon Han hsg@asiae.co.kr

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "Honestly, I was surprised. I can't believe it."

The court acquitted the operator of the 'Bad Fathers' website, which publicly disclosed the identities of parents who do not pay child support. The court ruled that the disclosure of these parents' identities was for the public interest and not intended to defame.

Gu Bon-chang (58), an activist who posts personal information about parents who fail to pay child support on 'Bad Fathers,' told Asia Economy in an interview, "I did not expect such a ruling." He added, "When I originally started this work, I did not consider legal issues," and said, "I have been sued 15 times."

Currently, the site publicly displays the names and photos of about 400 parents who do not pay child support. Among them, 113 parents (98 men and 15 women) have not paid child support.

Main screen of the website 'Bad Fathers' that posts personal information of parents who do not pay child support. Photo by the website screenshot

Mr. Gu was indicted in 2018 on charges of defamation for posting the faces, names, ages, addresses, occupations, and unpaid child support details of people reported as 'parents who do not pay child support' on the 'Bad Fathers' site.

The trial was a citizen participation trial that lasted 16 hours. The jury unanimously delivered a not guilty verdict, and the court acquitted him.

The court stated, "The defendant never received any compensation or profit from disclosing information about parents who do not pay child support, nor did he disparage or maliciously attack the subjects."

It added, "As the number of people facing crises due to unpaid child support increases, this issue has become a matter of public interest, and solutions are being sought. The defendant's activities aim to raise awareness of the suffering of many caregivers who have not received child support and to urge payment, which can be seen as serving the public interest."

Members of the 'Yangyukbi Solution Group' are holding a press conference in front of the National Assembly building in Seoul in October 2018, urging the introduction of the full payment system for child support, which was a campaign promise of President Moon Jae-in, and calling for punishment of parents who fail to pay child support. Photo by Yonhap News.

◆ "If you don't take down the photos, I'll bury you" - subjected to various death threats

Mr. Gu has endured various threats while working on 'Bad Fathers.' He explained, "One man whose identity was disclosed threatened to have his younger brother kill me before I quit, saying he works in the entertainment industry." He added, "Such threats and various criticisms continue."

Mr. Gu lamented, "I also received threats saying they would bury me if I didn't take down the photos. It's exhausting."

These threats are not only directed at Mr. Gu. He said, "Some men whose identities were disclosed contact the children's mothers, demanding that the photos be taken down immediately," adding, "The issue of unpaid child support is problematic, but the emotional wounds caused during this process are an even bigger problem."

Mr. Gu emphasized, "Unpaid child support is more than just 'not giving money.' It causes wounds. The pain of severing parent-child ties is unimaginable." He added, "Emotional wounds also need healing."

◆ "More women are gaining courage with the not guilty verdict... identity disclosures expected to increase"

Mr. Gu explained that 80% of unpaid child support victims are women. "They are usually victims of domestic violence and suffer severe trauma. However, this not guilty verdict is giving them courage," he said.

According to Mr. Gu, about 3,500 people have requested consultations for identity disclosure of parents on 'Bad Fathers.' However, only about 400 have requested actual disclosure. This means only about 11% of all victims take action. Among them, 113 parents have started paying child support.

Following this not guilty verdict, requests to disclose the identities of parents who do not pay child support are expected to increase.

Mr. Gu said, "Many women have gained courage from this verdict," and "Immediately after the ruling, inquiries requesting consultations about identity disclosure have flooded in."

He recalled a memorable case of a lawyer working at a major law firm who delayed paying child support but paid immediately after fearing his identity would be disclosed on 'Bad Fathers.'

Mr. Gu explained, "He was a father who did not pay 5 million won per month for four years, totaling 240 million won in child support," adding, "His occupation was a lawyer at a major law firm."

He continued, "The mother was left alone and worked as a server at a restaurant. She could not take care of her child, was emotionally exhausted, and caught in a vicious cycle," and "When we said we would disclose his identity on the Bad Fathers site, he immediately started paying child support."

◆ From helping Kopino to focusing on domestic issues... planning to create a 'child support payment system'

Mr. Gu initially worked as the representative of WLK (We Love Kopino), established in the Philippines in 2013, helping Kopino children (children born to Korean and Filipino parents) and their mothers with unpaid child support issues.

Later, realizing the reality of caregivers in Korea not receiving child support, from October 2017 to October 2018, he posted detailed information such as photos, names, ages, addresses, occupations, and unpaid child support amounts of parents who did not pay child support.

The 'Bad Fathers' operators currently plan to establish a practical child support enforcement system through legislative activities.

'Bad Fathers' and the Child Support Resolution Coalition intend to continue disclosing the identities of parents who do not pay child support, starting with legislation that imposes disadvantages on non-payers, to ensure a realistic child support payment system is enacted.