'Guhara Act' Passes Legal Affairs Committee Subcommittee... Scheduled for Plenary Session on the 28th

by Lee Kimin

Published 27 Aug.2024 14:50(KST)

Updated 27 Aug.2024 14:58(KST)

If Passed in Tomorrow's Plenary Session, Bill Processed 1548 Days After First Proposal

The so-called 'Goo Hara Act (Civil Act Amendment)', which prevents parents who have neglected their child-rearing duties from having inheritance rights, passed the subcommittee of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 27th through a bipartisan agreement.

This amendment was pushed forward following controversy after the death of the late Goo Hara in 2019, when her biological mother, who did not contribute to her upbringing, claimed inheritance rights.

A National Assembly petition urging legislation, arguing that it is unfair for parents who have not fulfilled their child-rearing duties to inherit their children's estate, garnered 100,000 signatures.

The Goo Hara Act, first proposed on June 2, 2020, shortly after the opening of the 21st National Assembly, had made significant progress in discussions, but failed to pass the plenary session in May due to partisan disagreements over contentious bills, ultimately not passing the National Assembly.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In April, the Constitutional Court also ruled the unconstitutionality of recognizing the statutory portion of inheritance for heirs who have long abandoned the decedent or committed acts of filial impiety such as mental or physical abuse, stating that it goes against the legal sentiment and common sense of the general public.

The amendment to the Crime Victim Protection Act, which allows relief funds to be paid to the bereaved families when a crime victim dies, also passed the subcommittee stage.

As these bills are considered representative livelihood laws and both ruling and opposition parties agree on the need to process them, they are expected to be smoothly approved at the plenary session on the 28th after the full Legislation and Judiciary Committee meeting in the afternoon. If the Goo Hara Act passes the plenary session, it will be 1,548 days since its initial proposal.