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- Israeli women mobilise against ultra-Orthodox military exemptions
- Asian markets track Wall St rally as US inflation eases rate worries
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- Daniels throws five TDs as Commanders down Eagles, Lions and Vikings win
- 'Who's next?': Misinformation and online threats after US CEO slaying
- Only 12 trucks delivered food, water in North Gaza Governorate since October: Oxfam
- Langers edge Tiger and son Charlie in PNC Championship playoff
- Explosive batsman Jacobs gets New Zealand call-up for Sri Lanka series
- Holders PSG edge through on penalties in French Cup
- Slovak PM Fico on surprise visit to Kremlin to talk gas deliveries
- Daniels throw five TDs as Commanders down Eagles
- Atalanta fight back to take top spot in Serie A, Roma hit five
- Mancini admits regrets over leaving Italy for Saudi Arabia
- Run machine Ayub shines as Pakistan sweep South Africa
- Slovak PM Fico on surprise visit to Kremlin
- Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill 35
- 'Incredible' Liverpool must stay focused: Slot
- Maresca 'absolutely happy' as title-chasing Chelsea drop points in Everton draw
- Salah happy wherever career ends after inspiring Liverpool rout
- Three and easy as Dortmund move into Bundesliga top six
- Liverpool hit Spurs for six, Man Utd embarrassed by Bournemouth
- Netanyahu vows to act with 'force, determination' against Yemen's Huthis
- Mbappe back from 'bottom' as Real Madrid down Sevilla
- Ali hat-trick helps champions Ahly crush Belouizdad
- France kept on tenterhooks over new government
- Salah stars as rampant Liverpool hit Spurs for six
- Syria's new leader says all weapons to come under 'state control'
- 'Sonic 3' zips to top of N.America box office
- Rome's Trevi Fountain reopens to limited crowds
- Mbappe strikes as Real Madrid down Sevilla
- 'Nervous' Man Utd humiliated by Bournemouth
- Pope again condemns 'cruelty' of Israeli strikes on Gaza
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- Troubled Man Utd humiliated by Bournemouth
- 2 US pilots shot down over Red Sea in 'friendly fire' incident: military
- Man Utd embarrassed by Bournemouth, Chelsea held at Everton
- France awaits fourth government of the year
- Germany pledges security inquest into Christmas market attack
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- Germany pledges security inquest after Christmas market attack
- Putin vows 'destruction' on Ukraine after Kazan drone attack
- Understated Usyk seeks recognition among boxing legends
- France awaits appointment of new government
South Korea star Jung Woo-sung apologises after baby scandal
One of South Korea's top actors apologised after it was revealed he fathered a child with a woman he is not married to, sparking nationwide scrutiny in a country where births outside marriage are still seen as taboo.
Jung Woo-sung, an A-lister in South Korea's competitive film industry since his debut in the 1990s, made headlines this week after his agency confirmed the 51-year-old actor is the biological father of model Moon Ga-bi's son born in March.
Days earlier, Moon, 35, revealed she had recently become a mother, without disclosing the identity of the child's father. A local news report claimed that the model had wanted to marry Jung to "provide her child with a family", but the actor declined.
Although Jung vowed to "fulfil his responsibilities" as a father, his silence on plans to marry Moon sparked intense backlash, with many calling him "irresponsible", in a society where deep-seated stigmas against unmarried mothers and their children persist.
"I am truly sorry to all those who have shown me love and believed in me for the concern and disappointment I have caused," Jung said late Friday as he took the stage as a presenter at the Blue Dragon Film Awards.
"I will accept and bear all the criticism. As a father, I will fulfil my responsibilities to my son until the very end."
Jung has long cultivated a scandal-free image, and had served as a goodwill ambassador for the UN refugee agency for nearly a decade until July.
Critics this week have compared the baby's situation to that of refugees -- highlighting the stigma faced by children of unmarried mothers.
"He has talked so much about (welcoming) refugees, yet he has made his own son a refugee," said one commenter on a news website.
One lawmaker from the opposition Democratic Party voiced support for accepting different family structures in South Korean society.
"The reality is that everyone is unique," said lawmaker Lee So-young, who added that her parents divorced when she was young.
"A society that respects these differences would surely be a better society, wouldn't it?"
Only 4.7 percent of South Korean babies last year were born outside of marriages, one of the lowest among 38 developed countries where the average is around 40 percent.
South Korea has been battling the world's lowest birth rates and plummeting marriage rates.
Experts say a contributing factor could be the country's narrow legal definition of what a family entails.
They point out that court approvals for the adoption of a child by an unmarried individual are extremely rare, seeking sperm donation is effectively banned for unmarried women, and same-sex marriages are not legally recognised.
F.Bennett--AMWN