Ko Ji-yong and Heo Yang-im [SNS]
Ko Ji-yong and Heo Yang-im [SNS]

Ko Ji-yong, 46, a former member of the K-pop group Sechs Kies, has entered a legal dispute with his ex-wife Heo Yang-im, 46, over their 12-year-old son Seung-jae. The conflict appears to have escalated after Heo filed suit over unpaid child support, prompting Ko to mount a legal counterclaim.

YouTuber Lee Jin-ho, a former journalist, said Wednesday on his YouTube channel that Ko had failed to pay 40 million won ($29,600) in child support over roughly two years since the divorce — a figure that rises to 50 million won when interest is included.

Lee said Ko and Heo divorced in April 2024, but that child support had been paid for only two months — August and September of this year, when the divorce became public. He added that the monthly payment was set at 1.89 million won, which he described as a fairly substantial amount.

Heo filed suit on Sept. 5 seeking payment of the overdue child support, and Ko's assets were subsequently frozen as a result.

Ko said Wednesday that he had also taken civil and criminal legal action against Heo. On the civil side, he filed for an injunction to prevent interference with his visitation rights and to prohibit the posting of photos and videos of the child. On the criminal side, Ko did not specify the charges, but his warning about a violation of child protection law has raised the possibility that he filed a complaint alleging child abuse.

"I could no longer tolerate her refusal to let me see my child, her ignoring my warnings about child protection law violations, and her use of the child to promote her medical clinic," Ko said.

Ko said that despite now making regular child support payments, he has been unable to see his son properly — claiming he has met the boy only six times over the past two years.

Ko also disclosed that Heo had seized his bank accounts and insurance policies over the unpaid support, and that he had been named in legal proceedings related to the asset freeze and visitation rights.

Ko said he had been battling health problems even before the divorce and that financial difficulties stemming from medical treatment had prevented him from paying child support. "After our agreed divorce on April 24, 2024, I was rushed to hospital in early May in critical condition due to liver cirrhosis and shock — I had to prepare myself for the possibility of death," he said. "My illness worsened during our marriage as well, but we reached an amicable agreement. Over the roughly two years that followed, I was hospitalized multiple times and hovered between life and death."

"As I was working to recover and return to normal life, I found it impossible to endure the continued refusal to communicate and the stream of lawsuits," Ko said, explaining his decision to pursue legal action.

Ko married physician Heo Yang-im in 2013 and the couple had a son, Seung-jae. The family appeared together on the KBS2 program "Superman Returns" in 2017 to wide public affection, but Ko revealed only last July that the couple had divorced two years earlier.

Custody of Seung-jae following the divorce is understood to rest with Heo. She has been sharing updates on her personal social media accounts and YouTube channel, while Ko has on several occasions expressed his longing for his son on social media.

Ko has worked in real estate finance and eco-friendly energy and advertising before reportedly joining a restaurant business run by an acquaintance. In a YouTube appearance two years ago, he said his health had deteriorated from heavy drinking while working in real estate finance.


paq@heraldcorp.com