Father ordered to support 'Kopino' son

By Lee Kyung-min

A local court ordered a Korean father, Tuesday, to support his son who was born to a Filipino woman with whom he had an affair during an overseas trip there.

Children born from such unions are often referred to as “Kopino,” a portmanteau of Korean and Filipino.

The ruling, which recognizes the parental responsibility of men who father illegitimate children in The Philippines, is the second such decision, following one reached by Suwon District Court last month.

The Seoul Family Court Tuesday said that the man, whose identity was withheld, should pay the mother in Philippines 300,000 won ($267) a month in child support until his son reaches the age of 19.

The mother filed a lawsuit with the Korean court last year after the man stopped providing financial support and severed contact with her and the son.

She demanded 40 million won in child support and 4 million won in compensation citing emotional distress.

According to court documents, the man first met the woman in August 2010, while on a business trip. The woman was working at a bar attending to male customers. He had a family here.

The two formed a romantic relationship and the man has visited her numerous times since.

The man first became aware of her pregnancy in September 2012, and he visited her to see his son in May 2013.

Since June 2012, the man had given some 9,300 U.S. dollars (10 million won) and presents including a television.

However, he cut off all contact with the woman around May 2013 immediately after his wife here discovered the affair and the baby and demanded him that he end all contact.

The Seoul Family Court recognized that the man had a duty to provide for his son.

“The duty of raising a baby falls to the mother. Given the mother’s unstable income, the job is nearly impossible without financial support from the father,” the judge said in its ruling.

However, the court dismissed her claim that the relationship between the two was comparable to a marriage and was therefore entitled to 4 million-won compensation in the form of alimony.

“The man had a family here, which is his primary marital relationship. And, he did not make time to visit her personally other than business occasions,” the judge said.

Meanwhile, Suwon District Court made a similar ruling last month against a Korean man who fathered two sons in Philippines, ordering him to pay 500,000 won in child support until 2017, along with 20 million won in compensation for the mother for the cost spent on raising the sons thus far.

According to “We Love Kopino,” an organization of Kopinos, there are some 30,000 such biracial children.

According to the Seoul Family Court, some 50 similar cases seeking child support are pending.