Singer Seo In-young. [Herald Muse]
Singer Seo In-young. [Herald Muse]

Singer Seo In-young opened up about the pain of her past divorce and stressed the importance of prenuptial agreements.

On the E Channel variety program "Seo In-young's Yuhaekkondae," which aired Thursday, Seo sat down with YouTuber Mimiminu and divorce attorney Park Min-cheol to discuss divorce and asset division.

With her remarriage approaching, Seo said she never imagined she would go through a divorce. "This time I really have to make it work. I think of it as my last chance," she said. Park then offered advice on how to protect one's financial rights during divorce proceedings.

Park recommended keeping a daily diary of childcare and household duties and sending the entries as messages to create a running record. "For example, you could send something like: 'Oppa, I got up this morning, packed the kids' dosirak and picked them up. I also sorted out the parents' insurance, did the laundry and cleaned the whole house. Did I do well?'" he said.

"Records showing that a wife prepared and cooked meals for her husband can be submitted as evidence in court," Park said. "The key to asset division is 'contribution' — what matters is who did how much during the marriage."

Seo asked whether recorded phone calls could serve the same purpose as written messages. When Park confirmed that recordings could also be used as evidence depending on the specifics, she drew laughs by saying, "That's why I switched to a Samsung phone this time — one that records calls."

Park added that keeping daily records of childcare and housework was not solely about preparing for a potential divorce. Done consistently, he said, it tends to make people "more committed to their marriage, and problems actually disappear."

Meanwhile, Seo had topped a 2010 survey by a matchmaking agency asking which female celebrity seemed most likely to draw up a prenuptial agreement.

Reflecting on that, Seo said that at the height of her popularity she had been convinced she would absolutely sign a prenup. "But when it came down to it and I actually got married, I couldn't go through with it. I beat myself up over it. Please, everyone — make sure you do," she said.

Seo also asked whether a written pledge made in advance — stating that a spouse would forfeit assets in the event of infidelity — would be legally binding. Park said it would not. "The right to asset division arises at the time of divorce, so it cannot be waived in advance," he said, adding that any pledge written before or during a marriage along the lines of "if you cheat, you leave with nothing" carries no legal force.

However, Park drew a distinction between waiving asset division rights and agreeing in advance on a specific sum to be paid as damages in the event of infidelity. Whether such an agreement is enforceable, he said, depends on its specific terms and whether it meets the relevant legal requirements.

Seo married a non-celebrity businessman in 2023 but divorced by mutual agreement the following year. She has since gone public with her relationship with a businessman six years her senior and is reportedly preparing to remarry in the second half of this year.


betterj@heraldcorp.com