Yulhee (real name Kim Yulhee, 27), a former member of the girl group Laboum, and her ex-husband Choi Min-hwan (32), the drummer of the band FT Island, have failed to reach an agreement on custody and property division. As a result, the two are expected to engage in formal litigation.
According to the legal community on the 14th, Judge Kang Yoon-hye of the Seoul Family Court held a mediation session on the 12th regarding Yulhee's request for a change of parental rights and custody against Choi Min-hwan, and decided that the mediation was unsuccessful.
Mediation is a process that allows decisions to be made through agreement without formal trial. Since both parties could not reach an agreement, the mediation has failed, and it seems likely that they will proceed with formal litigation in the future. The court that will hear the case has not yet been determined.
Choi Min-hwan and Yulhee welcomed their first son in 2018 and held their wedding. They later had twin daughters, making a total of three children, but they divorced by mutual agreement in December 2023, five years after their marriage. Custody of the children was granted to Choi Min-hwan.
Yulhee revealed through her YouTube channel last October that she discovered Choi Min-hwan was visiting entertainment establishments during their marriage, and she released recordings that raised suspicions of his involvement in prostitution.
Following this, Choi Min-hwan stepped down from all broadcasts and halted his activities with FT Island. The police charged him with violations of the Prostitution Punishment Act and the Sexual Violence Crime Punishment Act (forcible molestation due to familial relations), but he was cleared of charges due to insufficient evidence.
In this process, Yulhee filed for custody, alimony, and property division lawsuits to regain the custody rights she had transferred to Choi Min-hwan at the time of their divorce.
Choi Min-hwan resumed his activities through FT Island's concert in Japan last March. Yulhee announced her new start as an actress through the short-form drama 'My Partner is a Devil.'
[Shin Young-eun, Star Today Reporter]
