Famed novelist Lee Oi-soo has been sued by a woman in her 50s for not paying child support for their illegitimate son born in 1987.

The woman, whose last name is Oh, allegedly filed a lawsuit against the popular author in February, demanding payment of some 200 million won in unpaid child support. She also demanded the 67-year-old author legally register their child as his son.

The child, who is currently a college student, has been using his mother’s family name. 

Lee married his wife, Jeon Young-ja, in 1975. He has two sons with Jeon.

“I am sorry to cause a scandal,” Lee wrote on his Twitter account. “Things will be settled smoothly according to the law.”

His wife Jeon, on the other hand, said in a television interview on Saturday that she and Lee paid Oh 500,000 won every month from 1987 to 2007.

“Oh has been out of touch for the last six years, and is filing this suit out of the blue,” she said. Oh agreed to drop the suit, Jeon added.

However, Oh reportedly said on Monday that she had never agreed to settle the case with Lee and Jeon. If Oh does not drop the suit, the trial opens on April 16 at Chuncheon District Court in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province.

Considered one of the most popular Korean living writers, Lee is an influential figure online. Dubbed “Twitter president,” he has more than 1.6 million followers on Twitter, where he shares his thoughts on politics and culture.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)