Seoul — A South Korean family court has ruled that the late K-pop star Goo Hara’s inheritance be divided 6:4 between her surviving family members, after waiting for nearly nine months.
News outlet Soompi reported that the Gwangju Family Court has ordered Goo’s brother Ho-in be given 60 per cent while Goo’s estranged mother receives 40 per cent from Goo’s inheritance.
In March this year, Ho-in had filed against their mother after she claimed 50 per cent of his sister’s inheritance.
Despite being absent for most of their lives and giving up parental rights and custody, Goo’s mother claimed to be the late singer’s direct kin. Goo’s father has given his share of the inheritance to Ho-in. Based on Korean law if someone dies without any surviving spouse or offspring, their parents are able to receive their inheritance even if they did not personally raise them except in extremely rare cases such as murder or the falsification of a will.
“This meant parents who abandoned their children can return and claim their inheritance after their death.”
The lawyer representing Ho-in, Noh Jong Eon stated that they were looking into appealing against the decision.
“This is a very unusual judgment, so it requires thought,” Noh told the Maeil business newspaper.
According to reports, Ho-in and Hara were taken care of by their grandmother when they were young while their father worked odd jobs all over the country to earn an income for their family.
After being abandoned by their mother, Ho-in said Hara was traumatised. On Nov 24 last year, Goo was found dead at her home in Seoul. She is a former member of girl group Kara. She was only 28.
She launched her solo career after performing with Kara from 2008 to 2015. The singer had just finished a tour of Japan with the latest release of her single before her passing.
Born on Jan 3, 1991, Goo Hara, also known as Hara was a South Korean singer and actress. She was a member of the South Korean girl group Kara and had also appeared in TV dramas including City Hunter. She made her debut as a soloist in July 2015 with the release of her EP Alohara (Can You Feel It?). /TISG