Interest in Extramarital Births Rises Due to Jung Woo-sung Issue... "Almost No Biological Fathers Fully Take Responsibility"

"No Effective Way to Enforce Child Support"
"Unmarried Mothers Face Significant Economic Hardships"

Actor Jung Woo-sung has been embroiled in a controversy over his extramarital child, while Choi Hyung-sook, the representative of the Future-Changing Single Mothers Association 'InTree,' spoke about the practical difficulties faced by single mothers, saying, "There are hardly any cases where the biological father takes full responsibility after a child is born out of wedlock."

Choi, who has been active for 16 years as a single mother herself advocating for single mothers, appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the 26th and said, "Even when child support is ordered by the court during a divorce, many non-custodial parents do not comply, and single mothers give birth alone without even having a court order," adding, "Most men cut off contact as soon as they find out about the pregnancy or are already unreachable because they have separated."

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In Korea, there is a strong perception that childbirth occurs after marriage, but recently, as traditional family values weaken, the number of children born out of wedlock is rapidly increasing. According to the '2023 Birth Statistics' released by Statistics Korea last August, the number of children born outside of marriage reached 10,900, accounting for about 4.7% of the total births (230,000). The number of children born out of wedlock has increased for three consecutive years, following 7,700 in 2021 and 9,800 in 2022.

Although extramarital births are rapidly increasing, related legal and institutional measures remain insufficient. Choi said, "Single mothers are generally a relatively young group ranging from teenagers to their 50s, and they face many difficulties in finding employment," adding, "More than 99% experience career interruptions due to pregnancy and childbirth, and if they cannot engage in economic activities, their livelihood becomes even more difficult. Many also talk about mental health issues such as depression."

Choi also explained that the process of receiving child support is not easy. She said, "The procedures to receive child support take a long time and are complicated," adding, "Even if you go through all the steps and find the father, if he refuses to pay, that's the end of it. Although there are measures like travel bans and license suspensions, there is almost no way to enforce payment."

She continued, "I believe it is very important to enforce child support payments from non-custodial parents and to raise awareness," adding, "Although social perceptions have changed a lot, discrimination and prejudice against women who have children alone are still very severe in schools and workplaces."