Samsung heiress Lee Boo-jin’s husband on Thursday appealed against the court’s recent acceptance of divorce claims filed by her.

Lim Woo-jae, the former vice president of Samsung Electro-Mechanics, told the media that he would like to keep his family.

“I cannot accept the unfair ruling. (The ruling) is excessively cruel. I decided to appeal in order to secure my visitation and parental rights,” he said in a two-page note handed to the media in front of the court. 

The couple ended their 17-year marriage last month as the local court ruled in favor of Lee who filed for divorce in October 2014. The court granted her both the parental right and custody of their 7-year-old son while only allowing Lim a monthly visit.

With the appeal, the two continue to be legally married.

“Although I have already hurt my son, I cannot give up the parental right since I know that the father’s absence cannot be fulfilled by any other person. I will spend much more time with my son, family and myself. I cannot lose the time that I can spend with my child,” he added.

He immediately left the court after he submitted the appeal petition.

Married in August 1999, the couple reportedly had marital problems in the past few years. They attempted to reach a divorce agreement but failed, resulting in a legal battle.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)