Parents who abandon children are excluded from inheritance... 'Goo Hara Act' passes the crucial hurdle

<법사위, 여야 합의로 구하라법 의결
첫 발의 1548일만에 내일 본회의 처리
전세사기특별법 등 민생법안도 다수 처리>
Judiciary Committee Passes Guha Law by Bipartisan Agreement
Main Assembly to Handle It Tomorrow, 1548 Days After Initial Proposal
Many Other Livelihood Bills Including Special Lease Fraud Act Also Passed

The so-called 'Goo Hara Act (Civil Code Amendment)', which prevents parents who have neglected their child-rearing duties from having inheritance rights, will be submitted to the National Assembly plenary session on the 28th, 1548 days after it was first proposed.

On November 25, 2019, the funeral hall for the late Goo Hara was set up at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital. This hall was designated for fans, while a separate funeral hall for family and close acquaintances was arranged at another hospital.

The National Assembly Judiciary Committee held a full meeting on the afternoon of the 27th and approved the Goo Hara Act through bipartisan agreement. Earlier that morning, the committee members had forwarded the bill from the Bill Review Subcommittee 1 to the full committee.

Since Goo Hara's death in 2019, controversy arose as her biological mother, who had been out of contact for over 20 years and did not contribute to her upbringing, claimed inheritance rights. In May 2020, a National Assembly public petition urging legislation was submitted, arguing that it is unfair for parents who fail to fulfill their child-rearing duties to inherit their children's estate, and it gained the support of 100,000 people.

The Goo Hara Act, first proposed on June 2, 2020, shortly after the opening of the 21st National Assembly, had made significant progress in discussions. However, it ultimately failed to pass the National Assembly after disagreements between the ruling and opposition parties on contentious bills prevented its approval in the plenary session last May.

In April, the Constitutional Court also ruled the act unconstitutional, stating that "recognizing the statutory share of inheritance for heirs who have long abandoned the decedent or committed acts of filial misconduct such as mental or physical abuse is contrary to the general public's sense of justice and common sense."

Judiciary Committee Approves Numerous Livelihood Bills Including Special Act on Jeonse Fraud, Win-Win Cooperation between Large and Small Businesses, and Urban Gas Business Act

On the 30th, members of the People Power Party began to leave the plenary session hall as the vote on the fourth bill among the 'Broadcasting 4 Acts,' the amendment to the Educational Broadcasting System Act (EBS Act), started in the National Assembly plenary session. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

In addition to the Goo Hara Act, the Judiciary Committee approved numerous 'livelihood bills' including the Special Act on Jeonse Fraud (Partial Amendment to the Special Act on Support for Jeonse Fraud Victims and Housing Stability), the Public Housing Special Act Amendment, the Large and Small Business Win-Win Cooperation Promotion Act Amendment, the Urban Gas Business Act Amendment, the Industrial Complex Activation Act Amendment, and the Crime Victim Protection Act Amendment.

The Special Act on Jeonse Fraud expands the scope of recognized victims and includes provisions for the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) to purchase jeonse fraud victim houses through auctions and provide them as public rental housing for up to 20 years or support auction profits to victims. The Public Housing Special Act Amendment aims to extend the special period for urban public housing complex projects, originally set to expire on September 20, until December 31, 2026, to promote housing supply in aging areas.

The amendment to the Large and Small Business Win-Win Cooperation Promotion Act, which allows courts to be petitioned to prevent unfair use of technical data that could harm small and medium-sized enterprises, also passed the Judiciary Committee that day.

On the 29th, opposition party lawmakers applauded as the Broadcasting Culture Promotion Act (Bangmunjin Act), one of the 'Broadcasting Four Acts,' was passed in the National Assembly plenary session. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The Urban Gas Business Act Amendment, which passed the Judiciary Committee, allows local governments and others to apply on behalf of vulnerable groups to ensure they are not excluded from urban gas fee reduction services. The Industrial Complex Activation Act Amendment guarantees the expansion of renewable energy use by companies located in industrial complexes. Additionally, the Crime Victim Protection Act Amendment, which allows relief funds to be paid to the bereaved families of deceased crime victims, was also approved by the Judiciary Committee.

These bills, regarded as representative livelihood legislation, have bipartisan support for passage, so they are expected to be smoothly approved at the plenary session on the 28th after the Judiciary Committee's full meeting in the afternoon.