According to Dispatch on January 17, Kim Min-hee is six months pregnant with Hong Sang-soo’s child. The couple, who had been in a secret relationship for about 10 years, learned of the pregnancy last summer. They reportedly went for a routine gynecological checkup together on January 15.
While the pregnancy is cause for congratulations, Hong Sang-soo has not divorced his legal wife, meaning Kim Min-hee’s child will be considered an illegitimate child in his family records. However, Kim Min-hee can add the baby to her family registry.
Hong Sang-soo’s legal wife, who was unaware of Kim Min-hee’s pregnancy, must have been very surprised, as was the public. Even though her marriage to Hong Sang-soo ended years ago, the law still recognizes her as his wife. With Kim Min-hee now pregnant, it’s difficult for her to simply put her position aside.
Kim Min-hee had an affair with Hong Sang-soo, 22, in 2016, amid rumors of their relationship. Despite her family, their relationship blossomed after working together on the 2015 film Right Now, Wrong Then. The relationship, however, always carried the label of infidelity.
As a result, Hong Sang-soo filed for divorce from his wife, whom he married in 1985, after they met during his studies in the United States. Despite the court’s divorce proceedings, his wife refused to accept the divorce papers, expressing a desire to keep the family intact.
Hong Sang-soo lost the divorce case, and the court attributed the breakdown of the marriage to him and dismissed the case. He ultimately gave up the appeal and chose to maintain his legal relationship with his wife and daughter while building a new life with Kim Min-hee.
In June 2019, after dropping the appeal, Hong Sang-soo stated through his lawyer: “I decided not to appeal the divorce ruling from the first trial to focus on work and life. The fact that my marriage ended remains unchanged. When the social circumstances are ready, I intend to seek legal confirmation.”
By choosing Kim Min-hee over his wife and daughter, Hong Sang-soo, at age 64, is belatedly having a child, but has caused deep emotional pain to his wife and grown daughter. Although he may feel personally free from moral obligations, avoiding social judgment will be difficult.
This led to him asking his wife to make a decision. Should she continue to live with the painful memory of her failed marriage or let go and live out her remaining years happily? If the baby is born this spring, it will likely be added to Hong Sang-soo or Kim Min-hee’s family registry, further solidifying their relationship.
No choice will heal the emotional wounds, but as the couple Hong Sang-soo and Kim Min-hee move forward, public support is increasingly directed towards the legal wife.
