Even with the couple having welcomed an illegitimate child earlier this year, actor Jung Woo-sung still refuses to marry model Moon Ga-bi despite being one of the richest men in Korea.

Lawyers believe the ruling may be due to fears about having to pay a lot of money in the event of a divorce.

According to Wikitree, Jung, 51, was said to own property and shares worth about 30 billion won ($22.5 million).

With an estimated annual income of 8.4 million won ($6.3 million), he is one of the richest figures in the entertainment industry.

In a Youtube video titled "The Whole Story of How Jung Woo-sung Made Moon Ga-bi a Single Mother," criminal defense specialist Attorney Ahn Se-hoon of Junghyang Law Firm discusses why Jung likely made this decision.

When a child is born outside of marriage, Ahn noted, there are generally two routes: marry the mother or pay child support while remaining unwed.

Ahn said, "Jung Woo Sung chose the second option despite expected criticism because marriage is a huge risk."

Under South Korean law, a spouse could receive 30 percent of the family fortune on divorce if they had lived together for five years.

After 10 years, that percentage bleeds into 50%. This would be a hefty chunk of debt if a marriage were to end, considering Jung's massive wealth — hundreds of millions of won (around US$90,000 or more).

Jung, who also has several properties under his name, such as a building in Cheongdam-dong, which he purchased in 2020 for 33 billion won, has wealth that is partly rooted in stocks.

You have 10.66 billion won (approximately $9.59 million) in Wider Planet, a big data/AI marketing platform.

Ahn said that marrying Jung would be worth tens of billions of won, but his total obligation would only come in at about 700 million won (about $525,000) if he paid child support instead of marrying her.

The court usually imposes a maximum of 2 or 3 million won a month in child support, which, after 20 years, would come to a total of approximately 720 million won.

Word has it that Jung and Moon Ga-bi have met to discuss co-parenting plans despite the financial situation.

Again, Moon said they should get married for their child, but Jung kept to her position against marriage.

Although the couple was said to have started dating in 2022, the romance was not confirmed until Moon's pregnancy was publicly revealed in June 2023.

While Jung and Moon are still talking about the future, Jung only has marriage on his terms, with more of his focus allegedly on finances.