Photo source: Official Instagram of People Solving Child Support Problems and KBS news footage.
SEOUL, Nov. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing number of Korean men who had abandoned their mixed-heritage children in the Philippines have begun reaching out to the mothers after a civic group posted their faces online, reigniting a long-running debate over privacy and accountability.
The group, People Solving Child Support Problems—formerly known as “Bad Fathers”—said several Korean fathers of “Kopino” children, born to Filipino mothers and Korean men, have made contact for the first time in years after its recent social-media campaign.
Gu Bon-chang, the activist leading the effort, said on Sunday that “after the stories of Filipino single mothers searching for their children’s fathers were reported, the men who had blocked all contact for years began reaching out.” He began reposting the fathers’ photos late last month, declaring that he would “not back down even if accused of defamation.”
The group has shared cases involving children as young as seven who are unable to afford medical care. Some fathers reportedly used false identities, claiming to live in North Korea’s Pyongyang to avoid being traced.
Gu defended the decision to publish the images, calling it “a last resort” since the fathers often conceal their passport or phone information. He acknowledged receiving legal threats but said there was no other effective way to locate them.
Gu previously ran the “Bad Fathers” website, which named parents who refused to pay child support, leading to his prosecution for defamation under South Korea’s information-communications law. He received a suspended fine in 2023.
His renewed campaign has stirred controversy once again—hailed by advocates for holding absentee fathers accountable, yet criticized by legal experts who warn that public shaming skirts the edge of South Korea’s privacy and defamation laws.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
