The real-life k-drama involving singer-actor Kim Hyun Joong and his ex-girlfriend, identified only as Choi, keeps getting more complicated. Kim and Choi were already facing some complicated decisions after she announced her pregnancy. After all she previously sued him for assault and they supposedly broke up. But according to a recent article in the Korean media outlet Dispatch, the pregnancy became even more complicated when the parents got involved.
His parents were recently interviewed by Dispatch. While they said they were embarrassed to be publicly discussing such a private matter, they wanted to set the record straight.
"Of course I believe that Miss Choi is pregnant," said Kim Hyun Joong's mother Jung Yeon Mi. I also do not suspect the claim that the child is our son's."
She said that the way the news was delivered posed a problem.
"It's hard to think of the child as our grandchild by just looking at a few ultrasound pictures with no names or anything on them received through a mobile messenger app. What parent out there would be able to easily accept it when someone just says, 'this is your baby,' with ultrasound pictures with no name or information attached to them. All we have asked from the beginning is for us to be able to confirm the pregnancy by going to the hospital together."
Kim Hyun Joong's father first saw the ultrasound pictures early in January. He made an appointment with a male doctor, which Choi rejected and then he made another appointment with a female doctor who was highly recommended, but Choi did not show up for that appointment either. Both sets of parents met and Choi's parents brought an envelope of supporting documents with them but left without opening the envelope.
Kim Hyun Joong's father said that one reason he wanted Choi to visit the hospital was because he heard a rumor that she drank after becoming pregnant.
"I wanted to ask her, 'did you drink,' but because it wasn't something I had actually witnessed, I had a hard time asking her that. If I asked her that then I would have to tell her the name of the person who told me."
He was sorry if his request for a medical check-up was misunderstood, even perceived as a request for an abortion. He said he just wanted her to get a check-up and she and her family seemed to agree that it was a good idea.
"I only want to protect the baby," he said.
As to marriage, he said he would respect his son's decision. "We want to be involved in raising the baby even if the two don't get married. However, since the mother is the one with custody, we will follow Miss Choi's decision. However, no matter who it is that takes responsibility for the child, we must confirm the condition of the baby and the mother."
Kim Hyun Joong's parents apparently hold out hope that the couple can reconcile. "I think marriage is something that the two should work out. If they say they want to live together then I will not oppose it. What else can I do if they say they want to keep on living together even despite all the pain they've received."
According to his father the situation has been very difficult for Kim Hyun Joong who has been crying and finds it hard to leave the house.