Sister who ran away 30 years ago resurfaces after father's death, demands 50-50 inheritance split

A story has come to light about a woman who ran away from home 30 years ago and cut ties with her family, only to resurface after her father's death and demand a share of his estate.

According to JTBC's "Sageun Banjang," a legal affairs program, a man in his 40s identified only as A said he has been suffering emotionally since his father's death because of his sister's behavior.

"About 30 years ago, when I was young, my father fell at a construction site and our family's finances collapsed overnight," A said. "When my father became disabled, my mother left home, and my sister moved out as soon as she finished high school."

A was a middle school student at the time. He took on whatever work he could find — delivering newspapers, scrubbing grills at a barbecue restaurant, doing day labor — to support his disabled father and grandmother on his own. Even after reaching adulthood, he continued to cover the family's living expenses and contributed money when his father used a special housing pre-sale program for people with disabilities to buy an apartment.

The trouble began when his father recently died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage. A tracked down his sister with great difficulty to inform her of the funeral, but she showed no sign of grief when she arrived at the funeral home.

Upon learning that their father had left behind an apartment, his sister's demeanor changed entirely. "Nothing good has ever happened to me, but this time I hit the jackpot," she said, and began insisting the inheritance be split exactly 50-50.

"From my perspective, having cared for my father and grandmother alone my entire life, my sister's attitude is utterly shameless," A said. "I am beyond angry — I am dumbfounded. I want advice on how to respond."

Attorney Son Su-ho said that while children are in principle equal co-heirs under civil law, a system allowing courts to strip inheritance rights is now in effect for cases involving a serious breach of the duty to support a parent. "In this case, where the sister left home in childhood and provided no support to her parents whatsoever, there is a strong likelihood that a serious breach of the duty to support would be recognized and her inheritance rights forfeited," he said.

Attorney Park Ji-hoon agreed, adding that even if forfeiture of inheritance rights is not granted, A could still secure a significantly larger share by demonstrating that he provided special care for his father and directly contributed funds toward the apartment purchase — a legal concept known as a "contributory portion." Park advised A to seek professional legal counsel.