"The master craftsman calls my son by his own surname" The son-in-law's dilemma

"Master Craftsman Crosses the Line" Seeks Netizen Opinions
"Master's Fault" vs "What's Wrong with Passing Down Mother's Surname"
Actual 'Passing Down Mother's Surname' Is Very Rare

Netizens are engaged in heated debates over a man's story about his father-in-law who calls his grandchild by a different surname. Some are also showing interest in the 'method of passing down the mother's surname.'

The father-in-law who calls the child by the wife's surname every time they meet

Recently, on the anonymous workplace community Blind, a post titled "My father-in-law calls my child by a different surname" was uploaded. The author, Mr. A, shared, "For example, if my surname is Lee and my wife's surname is Park, he keeps calling the child ParkOO every time we meet."

Mr. A said, "My wife says it's a joke and that it's fine because she likes it, but I believe there are things you can joke about and things you can't," adding, "I think he's crossing the line." He also said, "Even people around me say 'this is a bit much,' but my wife insists there's no problem and that he does it because he likes the child," and asked netizens, "Is he messing with me?"

The post sparked various opinions in over 1,000 comments. The majority criticized the father-in-law's behavior, saying things like "It seems like the father-in-law is disrespecting his son-in-law," and "Maybe he intended to use his own surname from the start." On the other hand, some comments argued, "It's just a patriarchal custom; what's wrong with using the mother's surname?" "Is it really worth getting this upset over the wife’s surname?" and "Since the woman gave birth, this much is acceptable."

'Method of passing down the mother's surname' gains attention... Must agree at marriage registration

One netizen responded, "The practice of passing down the mother's surname should be more common," and asked about the 'method of passing down the mother's surname.'

It has been 15 years since the abolition of the household registration system in 2008, which allowed children to take their mother's surname in South Korea, but cases of following the mother's surname remain extremely rare. In fact, the number of applications last year where parents agreed during marriage registration for their children to take the mother's surname and clan was only 594, accounting for about 0.2% of the total.

The Civil Code still states that "children follow the father's surname and clan," and as an exception, if parents want their child to take the mother's surname, they must submit a separate agreement during marriage registration to follow the mother's surname and clan.

If the option to pass down the mother's surname was not chosen at the time of marriage registration, parents can apply to the court for permission to change the surname and clan to the mother's. Alternatively, after divorce, they can agree to this provision again when registering a new marriage.

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