The so-called 'Goo Hara Law', a revision to the Civil Code seeking to exclude inheritance rights for parents who neglect their child-rearing obligations, will be voted on by the National Assembly of South Korea today (August 28 KST).
On August 27 KST, a subcommittee of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee convened to vote on the passing of the 'Goo Hara Law'. 6 years after the K-Pop singer's passing, the 'Goo Hara Law' was unanimously approved by the subcommittee. If the law is passed during the National Assembly session on August 28, the Civil Code revision will be enacted.
The 'Goo Hara Law' emerged following the death of KARA member Goo Hara, when her older brother, Goo Ho In, initiated a public petition. Goo Hara's biological mother, who had abandoned her when she was 9-years old and who had no contact with Hara for nearly 20 years, appeared at the singer's funeral in 2019 to claim half of her inheritance.
Prior to the emergence of the 'Goo Hara Law', South Korean Civil Code allotted the inheritance of deceased family members directly to their closest relatives. The code only recognizes inheritance disqualification in limited cases, such as killing a family member or forging a will. The new bill would add a revision to the code, "disqualifying those who seriously neglect their duty to protect or support direct ancestors or descendants."
The 'Goo Hara Law' previously reached the 20th National Assembly in 2020, but failed to progress due to the Assembly's conclusion. Then, earlier in April of this year, South Korea's Constitutional Court ruled in favor of Goo Ho In, denying Goo Hara's birth mother a right to the singer's inheritance. This constitutional ruling accelerated the momentum of the 'Goo Hara Law'.
Meanwhile, last month in July, KARA released a special single "Hello" featuring the voice of the late member Hara.
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