Ku Jun-yup enters legal mediation over W120b estate of late wife Seo Hee-won

Singer Ku Jun-yup has not renounced his claim to the estate of his late wife Seo Hee-won, who died last year, according to local media reports. Seo's estate is estimated at around 600 million yuan ($88.5 million), or approximately 120 billion won.

Taiwan's SETN reported Sunday that Ku has not withdrawn from the inheritance distribution process and has moved to secure the assets his stepchildren are set to inherit.

Ku is scheduled to enter mediation next week with representatives of Seo's ex-husband, Wang Xiaofei, over the division of the estate. Wang is not an heir but is participating in the mediation as the legal guardian of the couple's two minor children.

Under Taiwan law, Ku and the two children are each entitled to one-third of the estate. Questions remain over how the assets will be transferred and managed, and those issues are expected to be addressed in mediation.

SETN said Ku's decision to participate in mediation "means he has not given up his inheritance rights," adding that earlier speculation that he had renounced his claim to the property where he and Seo had lived — prompted by his moving out — "turned out not to be true."

The outlet said Ku left the home at the request of Seo's family and is currently renting elsewhere, and added that vacating the property and waiving inheritance rights are separate matters.

The report also said Ku had been asked by Seo's mother, Huang Chunmei, to sign documents renouncing his inheritance.

Ku declined to do so, and local observers say the move signals that he intends to assert his legal rights against other members of Seo's family.

Ku's representatives have not issued a public statement in response to the reports.

Seo died last year at 48 from acute pneumonia. She married Chinese businessman Wang Xiaofei in 2011 and had a son and a daughter with him before the couple divorced in 2021. She later met Ku and registered their marriage in both South Korea and Taiwan in 2022.

Meanwhile, Wang issued a statement through his attorney saying that under Taiwan law, Ku and the two children would each inherit one-third of Seo's estate.

Wang said he had asked a court to appoint a special administrator to protect the children's interests, and that the inheritance distribution process was proceeding under the supervision of a court-appointed attorney. He added that a dedicated trust account had been set up to safeguard and manage the assets allocated to the children.

Wang added that he would "respect Ku's choice" regarding Ku's share of the inheritance.