"Why Am I Raising the Adulterer's Child My Wife Bore?" Husband Cleared of Charges

Investigation on Child Abuse Charges for Neglecting Newborn
Chungbuk Police Agency: "Difficult to Hold Legal Responsibility"
Cheongju City Plans Care Services After Birth Registration

A father in his 40s who was under police investigation for neglecting a newborn born from his wife’s affair during their divorce lawsuit was ultimately cleared of charges.

On the 6th, the Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency announced that they had closed the case by deciding not to prosecute Mr. A, a man in his 40s, who was being investigated on charges of child abuse (refusal to accept an illegitimate child), according to Yonhap News Agency. The police made this decision after reviewing Mr. A’s investigation details, legal advice from the investigation review committee, and opinions from social welfare experts.

On the 6th, the Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency announced that they have closed the case and decided not to prosecute Mr. A, a man in his 40s who was under investigation for child abuse (refusal to accept an illegitimate child).
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Mr. A was reported on December 28 last year for child abandonment. His wife, Ms. B, who was in the middle of a divorce lawsuit, gave birth to a child fathered by her lover and then passed away. The hospital reported Mr. A, the legal father under civil law, because he did not take the child.

Even after receiving a DNA test result showing “non-paternity,” the relevant city office department notified Mr. A to register the birth. Mr. A expressed his frustration through the media, asking, “Does the lover bear no responsibility?”

The police regarded Mr. A as the legal father of the child based on the civil law provision that “a child conceived during marriage is presumed to be the husband’s child.” However, since Mr. A already knew the child was not his biological offspring and suffered emotional distress due to his wife’s infidelity, they judged it difficult to hold him legally responsible.

Meanwhile, on the 3rd, Mr. A filed a “petition to deny paternity” at the Cheongju District Court. If the court accepts this, it will open the way for Cheongju City to register the child’s birth ex officio. Once the birth is registered, the child is expected to be cared for in a childcare facility or foster home.

Currently, Cheongju City is caring for the child at a shelter for abused children. The child was born on November 16 last year at a maternity hospital in Cheongju. However, the case arose after the mother passed away following childbirth.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.