Cha Seung Won Tells The Truth About His Son

On Oct. 5, Cha Seung Won became the subject of $100,000 lawsuit filed by a man who claimed to be the biological father of his son Cha No Ah. He said that the actor claiming to be Cha No Ah's father hurt his pride. Because of the lawsuit, past statements on the subject of Cha No Ah's paternity and adoption are under scrutiny.

A day after the lawsuit was filed, Cha Seung Won's agency, YG Entertainment, confirmed that the "You're All Surrounded" actor adopted Cha No Ah after marrying his mother. In light of that confession, the media has examined some conflicting statements made by the actor's wife, Lee Soo Jin.

When Lee Soo Jin was interviewed by Women's Daily in 1998, she told reporter Kim Dae Oh that No Ah was not Cha Seung Won's biological son. But in Sports Seoul Kim Dae Oh confessed to considering the feelings of the Cha No Ah, then eight years old, and not reporting the truth.

"Thinking about the 8-year old Noah and his future, I couldn't report it the way I had heard it, so I shut my mouth," said Kim Dae Oh.

However, a year later Lee Soo Jin published a book of essays and stated that her son was born after she and Cha Seung Won married. After YG Entertainment confirmed that Cha No Ah was not Cha Seung Won's biological son, he was questioned about his wife's claim.

"I acknowledge the small lie my wife and I made for the sake of No Ah, and I would like to apologize to everyone," he said in an interview with Soompi. "I would appreciate if people understood that at the time, we couldn't reveal everything."

Biological or not, Cha Seung Won considers Cha No Ah his son. He raised him for two decades and stood by his son's side, supporting him through his recent scandals. Last year Cha No Ah faced a drug charge that ended in probation, and a sexual assault charge that was eventually withdrawn. Taking responsibility for his son's actions, Cha Seung Won publicly apologized for not properly doing his job as a father.

"No matter what anyone says, No Ah is my son," Cha Seung Won told Kim. The actor said that he worried about No Ah before he told him the truth. But after the confession, his son was calm, as if he had known about it all along.

"I don't know how far this is going to go, but we are going to love each other more and become stronger," said Cha Seung Won.