在菲律賓，有一群被稱為「韓菲混血兒（Kopino）」的孩子，他們的父親多為韓國男性，母親則是菲律賓籍女子。這些孩子大多是非婚生子女，許多韓國男性在菲律賓與當地女性交往、同居期間使對方懷孕，但在孩子出生後便毫無音訊地返回韓國，甚至拉黑、封鎖菲律賓母親的聯繫方式，完全不負責任地拋棄母子。根據當地社會組織統計，如今這樣的被遺棄韓菲混血兒約有五萬名，這一現象長期被視為菲韓關係中的敏感社會議題。

近期，隨著韓國公益團體「解決撫養費的人們」（簡稱「解費團」，前身為「壞爸爸」組織）發起人具本昌（Koo Bon-chang）在社交媒體上公開這些「失聯韓國爸爸」的照片與身份資訊，這一議題再度引爆輿論。具本昌自10月下旬起連續發文，公開多名韓國男子的照片與他們在菲律賓所遺棄的子女資訊。他在10月23日與25日的貼文中指出：「尋找那些在2010年、2014年、2018年分別離開孩子與伴侶、返回韓國的父親們」，並強調：「即使構成名譽損害，我也不會退縮。」

到了11月2日，具本昌透露，他收到來自多位菲律賓單親媽媽的反饋。隨著媒體播出「尋找孩子的爸爸」報導後，部分多年來完全斷聯的韓國男性，竟開始主動聯繫當年他們拋棄的女人與孩子。一位單親媽媽表示，她那位在七年前逃回韓國、杳無音訊的「丈夫」突然重新聯絡她。具本昌分析，這些韓國男性恐怕是因害怕自己照片被公開、社會聲譽受損，才被迫出面。

對於為何要採取公開個資這一激烈手段，具本昌解釋說：「要找到這些人，需要護照號碼或韓國手機號，但他們在菲律賓與當時伴侶交往時，多數刻意隱瞞真實身份，導致孩子出生後根本無法尋人。公開照片是最後的手段。」他舉例指出，曾有一位韓國男子在菲律賓語言研修期間與當地女子生下孩子後逃跑，甚至長期對女方謊稱自己「不是韓國人」。

不過，具本昌也承認，他的舉動在韓國國內引發法律與道德爭議。有網友指控他侵犯隱私、涉及誹謗，他坦言自己曾陷入兩難。經律師諮詢後，他得知誹謗罪是否成立將取決於法官裁量。他表示，儘管如此，他仍會堅持行動，因為「被拋棄的孩子們有權知道自己的父親是誰」。

具本昌的行動並非首次引發風波。早在2018年，他便因曝光拒付子女撫養費的父母姓名與照片而在韓國社會引起爭議，並一度遭控違反《資訊通信網法》、涉嫌誹謗。雖然他在2024年被判緩刑並處以罰金100萬韓元，但有超過三千名市民聯署請願要求判其無罪，支持他「為被遺棄的孩子發聲」。

「解費團」的官網顯示，其宗旨是為解決拖欠子女撫養費問題、保障兒童生存權。該網站會公布拒不支付撫養費、無視法院判決的父母身份資訊，並在對方還清欠款後刪除資料。組織強調，所有被公布者都非經濟困難者，而是經過調查、確認具備支付能力卻故意逃避的父母。官方也會事先警告當事人，若不履行法律義務，其姓名、照片與欠款資訊將被公開。

隨著菲律賓境內大量韓菲混血兒成長為青少年，這一跨國拋棄問題逐漸浮上檯面。許多菲律賓單親母親在缺乏法律援助與跨國追責機制的情況下，只能依靠民間團體協助尋親。而具本昌的「壞爸爸曝光行動」，在韓國與菲律賓社會之間，既引起爭議，也引發更多人關注這些被遺忘孩子的命運。

In the Philippines, there exists a group of children known as “Kopino”, born to Filipino mothers and mostly Korean fathers. These children are largely born out of wedlock, with many Korean men having relationships or cohabiting with Filipino women, during which the women became pregnant. However, after the children were born, the fathers often returned to Korea without any communication, sometimes even blocking or cutting off all contact with the mothers, leaving both mother and child abandoned and unsupported. According to local social organizations, there are currently around 50,000 abandoned Kopino children, making this a long-standing and sensitive social issue in Philippine-Korean relations.

Recently, the issue gained renewed attention after Koo Bon-chang, founder of the Korean public interest group “Solve Child Support Issues” (formerly the “Bad Dad” organization”), began publicly sharing photos and identifying information of these “absent Korean fathers” on social media. Starting in late October, Koo posted multiple entries exposing Korean men who had abandoned their children in the Philippines. In posts on October 23 and 25, he wrote: “Looking for the fathers who left their children and partners in 2010, 2014, and 2018 and returned to Korea,” adding: “Even if this constitutes defamation, I will not back down.”

By November 2, Koo reported that he had received feedback from multiple Filipino single mothers. Following media coverage titled “Finding the Children’s Fathers,” several Korean men who had been completely out of contact for years began reaching out to the mothers and children they had abandoned. One mother shared that a father who had disappeared seven years earlier suddenly contacted her. Koo analyzed that these men were likely motivated by fear of public exposure and reputational damage, prompting them to come forward.

Koo explained that he resorted to publicly sharing information because locating these fathers otherwise is nearly impossible. “To find them, you would need a passport number or a Korean phone number,” he said, noting that most of these men deliberately concealed their real identities during their time in the Philippines, making it impossible to track them once the child was born. Publicizing their photos, therefore, became a last-resort measure. He cited cases where men, after fathering children while studying in the Philippines, fled and even lied for years claiming they were not Korean.

However, Koo acknowledged that his actions have sparked legal and ethical debates in Korea. Some netizens accused him of violating privacy and committing defamation. Koo admitted he had faced difficult choices but, after consulting lawyers, understood that whether defamation charges would hold depends on judicial discretion. Despite the controversy, he remains committed, stating that “abandoned children have the right to know who their fathers are.”

This was not Koo’s first contentious initiative. As early as 2018, he had publicly exposed parents who refused to pay child support, sparking societal debate in Korea and resulting in legal charges under the Information and Communication Network Act for alleged defamation. In 2024, he received a suspended sentence and a fine of 1 million KRW, though over 3,000 citizens signed a petition supporting him and urging his acquittal, praising his efforts to give a voice to abandoned children.

According to the official website of “Solve Child Support Issues,” the organization’s mission is to resolve unpaid child support and protect children’s rights. The website publishes information about parents who deliberately refuse court-ordered support and removes the information once arrears are settled. The organization emphasizes that all published individuals are not genuinely economically unable to pay but have intentionally evaded responsibility, and parents are warned beforehand that their information will be made public if they fail to comply.

As many Kopino children in the Philippines grow into teenagers, this cross-border abandonment issue has increasingly come to light. Lacking legal recourse or international enforcement mechanisms, Filipino single mothers often rely on civil society organizations for assistance. Koo Bon-chang’s “Bad Dad Exposure Campaign” has generated both controversy and attention, highlighting the plight of these forgotten children and prompting greater societal awareness in both Korea and the Philippines.