The lawsuit against actor Cha Seung Won and his wife Lee Soo Jin has been dropped. Lee Soo Jin's former husband sued the actor on Oct. 5 because he said his pride was hurt when the actor claimed to be Cha No Ah's father. The former husband, identified only as Cho, wanted $100,000 in his lawsuit because he said that Lee Soo Jin claimed Cha No Ah was Cha Seung Won's biological son in a book of essays.
In an interview with Star News, Cho said, "Although Cha Seung Won is not the biological father of Cha No Ah, he spoke as if he was the biological father on broadcasts and such. In Ms. Lee's book, she spread lies about her dating life, marriage and child, causing me mental suffering."
On Oct. 7, Cho asked the Seoul Central District Court to withdraw his lawsuit.
The actor's agency, YG Entertainment, released a statement saying that Cha Seung Won was not Cha No Ah's father. According to the statement, the actor had no regrets about marrying his wife and adopting her then three-year-old son. But the revelation has hurt his family.
"He has been struggling, as his family will be heart-broken due to the articles," said the YG statement. "Nevertheless, he will continue to protect his family no matter what kind of hardships he faces in the future."
The "You're All Surrounded" actor acknowledged that his wife told a lie about Cha No Ah's paternity in the book but said she did so to protect their son.
"I would appreciate if people understood that at the time, we couldn't reveal everything," he said.
Cha Seung Won apologized but said that he considered himself Cha No Ah's father.
"No matter what anyone says, No Ah is my son," Cha Seung Won said.
The fact that Cha Seung Won was not his biological father was apparently news to Cha No Ah but the actor said his son took it well. He was calm and comforted his parents.
Cha Seung Won stood by Cha No Ah last year when he was charged with marijuana possession and given probation. He also stood by him when he was charged with sexual assault, a charge that was eventually withdrawn. He publicly apologized for not properly doing his job as a father.
"I don't know how far this is going to go, but we are going to love each other more and become stronger," said Cha Seung Won before the lawsuit was dropped.
There is no word on what prompted Cho to withdraw the lawsuit.