[Sportschosun Reporter Park A-ram] More than a year after the death of Taiwanese actress Seo Hee-won, public attention is rising again over the inheritance of her estate and the custody of her two children. In particular, reports that the late actress left instructions on how to divide her assets in a note on her mobile phone have sparked debate over whether the document has any legal force.
Taiwanese media recently reported that Seo Hee-won had written down a plan for distributing her estate in a phone memo, but her family reportedly decided not to carry it out, judging it to be a document without legal validity. The memo is said to have stated that jewelry and luxury handbags should go to her daughter, while the rest of her assets should be divided among her family members, including her husband Koo Jun-yup and their two children.
Regarding the issue, Taiwanese lawyer Im Ji-gun said, "A will written on a mobile phone is difficult to recognize as legally valid under current law." He explained that Taiwanese civil law recognizes five forms of wills, and each must meet the procedures and formalities required by law. Among them, the most common handwritten will must be written entirely by the testator from beginning to end and signed by hand. He stressed that documents typed on a computer or smartphone do not meet the requirements and are therefore invalid.
Im also pointed out that these rules are far too outdated. He explained that the current regulations on wills were enacted in 1930, when computers and smartphones did not exist and literacy rates were low, so the system was built around handwritten documents. He added, "Today, most people write on computers and mobile phones, but the law still recognizes only handwriting," and criticized the process as overly complicated, saying, "Even when making corrections, you have to sign again each time."
Along with the inheritance issue, attention is also focused on the future custody of the two children. Seo Hee-won had two children with her ex-husband Wang Xiaofei, and after their divorce she raised them herself. It is also known that she lived with the children after remarrying Koo Jun-yup.
However, under Taiwanese civil law, if a parent exercising custody after divorce dies, the surviving parent generally takes over custody. Accordingly, analysts say Wang Xiaofei, the ex-husband, is likely to gain custody of the two children under the law. Some observers say Seo Hee-won's family may review procedures to change or maintain custody, but the prevailing view is that the biological father's rights are likely to take precedence under current law.
The inheritance issue is also becoming more complicated. Im said that if no separate valid will exists, Koo Jun-yup and the two children are likely to become the legal heirs under current law. In that case, Wang Xiaofei, as the legal guardian of the two children, could manage the portion of the inheritance belonging to them, raising the possibility of future legal disputes.
In fact, Wang Xiaofei has previously shown public conflict with Seo Hee-won and Koo Jun-yup after their remarriage, leading to speculation that he may also pursue legal action in this inheritance dispute. Meanwhile, Koo Jun-yup is reportedly not giving up his inheritance rights so far, and local media have raised the possibility that both sides may seek mediation through their lawyers.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong media recently reported that Koo Jun-yup visited Seo Hee-won's grave alone at Jinbaoshan Cemetery in New Taipei City, Taiwan. Witnesses said he spent a long time mourning while looking at videos of Seo Hee-won on a tablet PC.
The custody and inheritance issues that began after Seo Hee-won's sudden death remain unresolved even now. With the added dispute over the legal validity of the phone memo, the controversy surrounding her estate is expected to continue for some time.
tokkig@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
