The Korea Herald

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Actor Yoon Jeong-hee’s daughter files for guardianship over Yoon in Korea

By Im Eun-byel

Published : Feb. 22, 2021 - 14:31

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Pianist Paik Kun-woo speaks with the press at Incheon International Airport on Feb. 11, after arriving from France for performances here. (Yonhap) Pianist Paik Kun-woo speaks with the press at Incheon International Airport on Feb. 11, after arriving from France for performances here. (Yonhap)

Violinist Paik Jin-hee, daughter of actor Yoon Jeong-hee and pianist Paik Kun-woo, asked a Korean court to designate her as Yoon’s legal guardian in Korea last year, while she and her father were in conflict with her mother’s siblings over Yoon’s legal guardianship in France.

According to news reports, Paik Jin-hee filed a case with the Seoul Family Court in October to be designated Yoon’s legal guardian in Korea. Yoon suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.

The court filing was made while Yoon’s siblings were challenging a French court‘s designation of Paik’s daughter as Yoon’s legal guardian. The siblings lost the lawsuit on Nov. 3.

The Seoul court has asked the National Center for Mental Health to evaluate Yoon’s case. It will decide after the health institute gives its evaluation of Yoon’s mental health.

Yoon is known to own two apartments in Yeouido, Seoul, and has some deposits in a bank in Korea.

Lawyer Park Yeon-cheol, representing Yoon‘s siblings, said the siblings were not aware of Paik‘s filing for legal guardianship of Yoon in Korea.

“After the French court’s ruling, we discussed this matter and deemed it inappropriate for Paik Jin-hee to be designated as Yoon’s legal guardian in Korea as the daughter lives in Paris,” Park said.

Yoon‘s siblings’ conflict with her husband and daughter over legal guardianship of the actor currently living in Paris became public when the siblings uploaded a petition on the Blue House website Feb. 5, claiming that Paik and his daughter have failed to provide Yoon proper care. They asked for the Korean government to bring Yoon back to Korea so that they could look after her.

Pianist Paik denied the accusation through his agency on Feb.7. After arriving in Korea on Feb. 11 for performances here, Paik told the press, ”Yoon is living a peaceful life each day. We don’t have any problem.”

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)