"Unable to Continue Mother-Son Relationship": Kim Youngsik Loses First Trial in Annulment Lawsuit Against LG Chairman Kwangmo Koo

Kim Youngsik, Adoptive Mother, Files Lawsuit for Annulment of Adoption
Legal Action Amid Inheritance Dispute
"I Will Do My Utmost to Find a Solution Until the End"

The court has rejected the petition for adoption annulment filed by Kim Youngsik, the spouse of the late former LG Group Chairman Koo Bonmoo and the adoptive mother of current LG Group Chairman Kwangmo Koo.

Kwangmo Koo, Chairman of LG Group. LG Group

On the afternoon of September 3, Judge Lee Eunju, presiding over Seoul Family Court's Division 6 for Family Affairs, dismissed Kim's petition for annulment of adoption against Chairman Koo. The reason for the decision was not disclosed in court.

Chairman Kwangmo Koo is the biological son of Koo Bonneung, Chairman of Heesung Group and the younger brother of former Chairman Koo Bonmoo. In 2004, after losing his only son in an accident, Koo Bonmoo adopted his nephew Kwangmo Koo in order to secure succession of the group.

After the death of Koo Bonmoo in 2018, Chairman Kwangmo Koo inherited the majority of LG shares and became the company's largest shareholder.

However, in 2023, Kim Youngsik and the late Koo Bonmoo’s two daughters—Koo Yeonkyung, head of the LG Welfare Foundation, and Koo Yeonsoo—filed a lawsuit seeking to re-divide the inherited assets. The following November, Kim filed a petition for annulment of adoption against Chairman Koo.

After the verdict, Kim held a press conference, saying, "I apologize for causing concern over family matters," but added, "I do not think that Chairman Kwangmo Koo and I can continue our relationship as mother and son."

She continued, "I hope that we can now return to our own families and respective lives," and added, "I will do my utmost to find a solution until this relationship is finally resolved."

Kim’s legal representative explained that the suit was based on Article 905, Item 2 of the Civil Act, which allows adoptive parents to seek annulment if they have been seriously mistreated by an adopted child. The attorney said, "Given the actual relationship between the plaintiff (Kim Youngsik) and the defendant (Chairman Koo), it is reasonable that their mother-son relationship should be dissolved."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.