The so called Goo Hara Act, which restricts inheritance rights for parents who have seriously neglected or abused their children, will take effect starting January 1.
On December 30, the Supreme Court announced major judicial changes set to be implemented in the first half of the coming year, confirming the introduction of a court ordered declaration of loss of inheritance rights under Article 1004 paragraph 2 of the Civil Act.
Under the new system, a court may deprive a lineal ascendant of inheritance rights if the parent severely violated their duty of care during the child’s minor years, or committed serious crimes or inflicted gravely unjust treatment against the deceased, the deceased’s spouse, or their lineal descendants.
If the deceased clearly expressed an intention to revoke inheritance rights through a notarized will, the executor of the will may file a petition with the family court to declare the loss of inheritance rights. If no will exists, co heirs must submit the petition within six months from the date they became aware of the relevant grounds.
The Supreme Court explained that the system is designed to correct a long standing structure in which parents who abandoned their responsibilities or abused their children were able to inherit the child’s property without restriction after the child’s death. The Court added that the new law will strengthen accountability within family relationships, enhance substantive justice and fairness in inheritance, and help restore a sense of psychological justice for victims and bereaved families.
The legislation is named after Goo Hara, a former member of the girl group KARA. After her death in 2019, her biological mother, who had left the family during Goo Hara’s childhood, sought inheritance rights, triggering widespread public debate.
In 2020, Goo Hara’s older brother publicly raised the issue, arguing that it was unjust for a parent who had been absent for more than 20 years to claim inheritance only after the child’s death. He proposed the Goo Hara Act through a National Assembly public petition, calling for lineal ascendants who have severely failed their duty of care to be added as grounds for inheritance disqualification.
The petition quickly gained public support, reaching more than 100,000 signatures within just three days. Although it was automatically discarded at the end of the 20th National Assembly term, continued advocacy by the bereaved family, additional public petitions, partial court rulings on inheritance division, and a renewed push by the government eventually led to the bill’s passage through the National Assembly.
Goo Hara debuted in 2008 as a member of KARA and received widespread love both in Korea and internationally through hit songs such as “Pretty Girl,” 'Honey,' “Mr.,” “Lupin,” and “Mamma Mia.” She passed away in November 2019 at the age of 28, leaving a lasting impact on fans and the K pop industry as a whole.
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