Actress, 43, branded 'selfish' after admitting she used her ex-husband's sperm to become pregnant via IVF WITHOUT his consent

Daily Mail​

16-07-2025

A Korean actress has been accused of 'cornering her ex-husband into fatherhood' - after becoming pregnant through IVF processes that used his sperm 'without his consent'.
Lee Si-young, 43, sparked online debate after revealing that she had become pregnant via an embryo which was fertilised five years ago - while she was still with entrepreneur Cho Seong-hyun.
The pair, who already share a son - seven-year-old Jung-yoon - got married in 2017 (when she was already 14 weeks pregnant), but announced their divorce in March.
But despite the couple 'mutually agreeing to part ways', they will now co-parent a second baby - despite the father 'not agreeing' with the procedure.
Si-young announced the news on Instagram, in a now-deleted post, admitting she knows there 'may be many difficulties in the future' - but 'wants to believe that her choice now is more valuable'.
'Eight years ago, when I had my first child, now the most important person in my life, I was not married and filming a drama,' she wrote as per a translation via TheKTea.
'Back then, I was younger and had many shortcomings. Every time I saw Jung-yoon in my arms, I regretted and blamed myself for the time I spent with anxiety negatively.
'That's why I promised myself that if I ever got another chance, I would never regret it again. I prepared for my second child through IVF during my marriage.
'However, a long time passed without receiving the fertilised embryos, and the topic of divorce naturally came up.
'After all the legal process was sorted out, the five-year frozen embryo storage period was ending, and I had to make a choice.
'Before the disposal date, I decided to have the transplant myself.'
She added: 'Although I didn't ask for consent from the the other person, I will bear the full weight of my decision.'
Si-young also expressed how grateful she was for her 'angel' son, who helped her 'endure her troubled married life'.
'Right now, I am only grateful for the new life that came to me, and I am spending a more peaceful and happy time.
'I will humbly accept any criticism or advice you give me in the future.'
As per the Korea Times, Seong-hyun confirmed that he will be a present parent, albeit not agreeing with the process.
'Although I opposed the second pregnancy, now that the child is coming, I will do my best as a father,' he told Dispatch.
'Lee and I have continued to communicate for the sake of our first child and we will cooperate regarding the upbringing of both children.'
Social media was divided - as while many were supportive, others were baffled by the legal implications.
'Uh I feel like he was kinda cornered in this situation,' one offered. 'He couldn't really refuse to raise the child because they already have one child together and do you really think they would co-parent one child and not the other???
'Imagine the child grew up knowing their biologically his but that he refused to parent them. Not to mention public scrutiny.
'It's their life and I try to feel empathy for everyone involved but she shouldn't have the right to unilaterally decide to have a child with his genes lol what type of world is this...'
Another questioned: 'How do you manage to go through IVF without one person consenting? What the hell is he meant to do in this scenario exactly?
'Well the decision has been made. They already have one child with each other, hopefully he will love and care for the 2nd child despite not wanting it in the first place. Happy to know he's willing to be involved in the early stages already.'
Elsewhere however, one suggested: 'Maybe it's a bad take but I don't really see how anything about this is wrong.
'She said she was going to raise the child alone if she had too, she didn't demand anything from the father. He decided that he wanted to step up on his own accord.'
The couple, who were married for eight years, were both successful in their respectful industries.
Seong-hyun, according to Bollywoodshaadis, is a well-known restauranteur, while Si-young has made a name for herself in a number of dramas, including the global hit Boys Over Flowers and most recently, Salon De Holmes.
She has also starred in the Netflix series Sweet Home.
The couple announced plans to divorce earlier this year.
As per the Korea Times, Si-young's agency - Ace Factory - released a statement.
It read: 'They have mutually agreed to part ways and are currently proceeding with the divorce process. As this is a personal matter, we ask for your understanding that we cannot respond to further inquiries.'
It is not clear what the legislative conditions which permitted the IVF procedure were, or if there were other private conversations around the matter.
However, according to the Bioethics and Safety Act in South Korea, a 'medical institution producing embryos intends to extract ova or spermatozoa in order to produce embryos' must contain written consent from 'the donor of the ova or spermatozoa, the person into whom an externally fertilized ovum is to be implanted and the spouse of the donor or the person to receive such implantation, if the donor or the person to receive such implantation has a spouse'.
The consent is in regards to: 1. Objectives of producing embryos; 2. Preservation period of embryos, ova, or spermatozoa and other matters regarding preservation; 3. Disuse of embryos, ova, or spermatozoa; 4. Use of residual embryos or ova for the purpose of research; 5. Alteration to, or withdrawal of, consent - and finally, the 6. Protection of rights of the person with the right to consent and information about such person and other matters specified by Ministerial Decree of Health and Welfare.
FEMAIL has attempted to reach out to Si-young's agency and the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare for comment.