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Paternity lawsuits steadily increasing
An increasing number of Koreans are filing paternity lawsuits to verify relationships among family members through DNA testing as the genetic test has become more readily available, according to the Supreme Court, Wednesday.
A total of 4,301 paternity suits were filed at family courts across the country in 2009, up from 3,467 in 2008 and 2,671 in 2007.
It attributed the rise to legally check biological relations to an increasingly simpler and cheaper DNA test offered by private clinics. A paternity test at these private clinics normally costs between 300,000 won to 500,000 won and the results are usually available within 24 hours.
Thanks to this more convenient and less expensive DNA test, more Koreans seek to confirm biological relationships with their offspring and other family members amid growing cases of out-of-wedlock childbirths.
Also, some individuals want to verify their genetic relations with possible descendants of relatives who have long ago moved to China or other foreign countries.
An official at the Seoul Family Court said many go to Seoul National University Hospital to take the paternity test. “But a growing number of people also go to private clinics because the courts also accept these test results as legitimate,” he said.