According to Star News, the son of the star singer couple Hong Seo Beom and Jo Gap Gyeong recently lost an appeal in a damages lawsuit filed by his ex-wife, identified as Woman A, over the breakdown of their marriage.
On June 25, 2026 (KST), the Daejeon Family Court ruled partially in favor of A in the appeal trial for her damages claim against Hong Seo Beom and Jo Gap Gyeong’s son, reported as Man B, but already well known to the public as the soccer player Hong Seok Jun.
A first filed the lawsuit in September 2024, claiming that Hong Seok Jun’s affair during their marriage caused their relationship to fall apart. In particular, she alleged that Hong Seok Jun had an inappropriate relationship with a fellow teacher just one month after she became pregnant.
In September 2025, the first trial court ruled that Hong Seok Jun was at fault for the breakdown of the relationship and ordered him to pay ₩30.0 million KRW (about $19,500 USD) in alimony, as well as ₩800,000 KRW (about $521 USD) per month in child support. However, A appealed the ruling, arguing she could not accept it. During the appeal process, the two sides continued to clash over issues including the alleged inaction of Hong Seo Beom and Jo Gap Gyeong and whether child support had been paid.
As the controversy grew, Hong Seo Beom and Jo Gap Gyeong issued a public apology regarding their son’s divorce lawsuit. The couple also stated that they would guide their son to fulfill his responsibilities.
We bow our heads and deeply apologize for the disappointment and upset we caused the public with the recent reports related to our son’s divorce lawsuit. After returning to Korea, we personally reviewed the ruling and related materials, as well as the divorce lawsuit process, and confirmed that there were differences between what we had been told and the actual facts. Regardless, we respected our adult son’s privacy and autonomy and did not intervene in the divorce process. However, as parents, we now deeply regret that we failed to closely examine our child’s wrongdoing.
Although the other party’s appeal trial is still ongoing, we will strictly instruct our son, through his legal representative, to ensure that his obligations under the first trial ruling, including child support and alimony, are carried out as soon as possible. Above all, we fully respect the other party’s decision regarding the birth and raising of our granddaughter, and we will watch over our son so that he can fulfill his responsibility as a father until the end.
— Hong Seo Beom and Jo Gap Gyeong
A later responded angrily to the couple’s apology, saying it should have been directed to her and her child’s family, not the public. “Apologize to me, my child, and my family, not the public,” she snapped.
Now that this has become an issue, you’re pretending to apologize to the public. It has taken nearly three years for this to be made known. People, please continue helping so this doesn’t disappear easily.
— Woman A
The appeal trial reportedly included three rounds of arguments. The case also drew wider attention after it was covered by the YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute in April. At the time, A explained why she had chosen to make the situation public. “There are people who look negatively at my reason for trying to reveal this,” she said.
But one of the reasons I wanted to speak out is that my life has been completely ruined. I still cannot properly raise the baby, and I am working day and night. Seeing them appear on television as if nothing happened is something I naturally cannot endure. They appeared on broadcasts as good parents, but they were not the kind of in-laws to me. They have not even seen their own granddaughter, yet they spend a pleasant time overseas with their niece’s children and live as if nothing happened. I cannot even put into words how that feels.
— Woman A
Previously, Hong Seo Beom denied that he and his wife had completely ignored the situation. He claimed that after the first trial ruling, he gave his son ₩20.0 million KRW (about $13,000 USD) and told him to add ₩10.0 million KRW (about $6,510 USD) of his own money to pay the alimony. He also stated that child support payments had been temporarily delayed at their lawyer’s advice while the appeal was ongoing.
Stay tuned for updates.