Following the sudden passing of Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu, her husband Koo Jun-yup (DJ Koo) announced that he would relinquish all rights to his wife’s inheritance in favor of his mother-in-law. This decision has sparked discussions among legal experts in Taiwan.

On February 9, Taiwanese media outlet Liberty Times reported that local lawyer Chen Yuan expressed surprise at Koo Jun-yup’s decision to forgo the inheritance in favor of his mother-in-law. Chen questioned which legal advisor had recommended such an action.

According to the report, Chen Yuan wrote on Facebook, “Please reconsider. If Koo Jun-yup gives up his inheritance, his share of the estate will be transferred to Barbie Hsu’s two children. This, in turn, could open the door for ex-husband Wang Xiaofei and his mother Zhang Lan to intervene. In other words, the inheritance would not go directly to Barbie Hsu’s mother.”  

Chen further advised that if Koo Jun-yup truly wished for his share to go to his mother-in-law, he should first accept the inheritance and then transfer it through other legal means, rather than formally renouncing it.

Another legal expert weighed in on the matter. In particular, media outlet ET Today reported on the same day that lawyer Su Jia-hong discussed on YouTube the possibility of Koo Jun-yup adopting Barbie Hsu’s two children. If Koo were to adopt them, Wang Xiaofei would no longer have any legal claim to the inheritance. However, Su stated that such a move would be nearly impossible.

Under the law, adoption requires severing the biological father’s rights, which can only be done with the father’s consent. Su explained, “Wang Xiaofei is unlikely to agree to this, especially in light of Barbie Hsu’s passing.”  

Su Jia-hong also noted that if the children hold Chinese nationality, they can legally inherit only up to 2 million yuan (approximately 330,000 USD) each. He argued that this limitation could actually work in Barbie Hsu’s family’s favor.

If each child inherits 2 million yuan, the remaining assets will pass to the next eligible heir. Since Barbie Hsu had no other children, her mother, as the next in line, would receive the remainder. Consequently, Wang Xiaofei would have control over only 4 million yuan (approximately 660,000 USD) of the inheritance.

However, Su Jia-hong interpreted Wang Xiaofei’s immediate return to Taiwan after Barbie Hsu’s passing as an effort to fulfill his responsibilities as a father. The lawyer emphasized, “From an ethical standpoint, a father remains a father to his children.”  In fact, Wang Xiaofei’s current wife, Mandy, also insisted that they would take care of the children.

On the other hand, Barbie Hsu was a beloved Taiwanese actress, best known for playing the lead role in the Taiwanese adaptation of “Meteor Garden”. She married Chinese businessman Wang Xiaofei in 2011 and had one son and one daughter. However, the couple divorced in 2021 and engaged in legal battles over child custody and asset division.  In 2022, after 23 years apart, she reunited with Koo Jun-yup, and the two officially married that same year.

Following Barbie Hsu’s sudden passing, Wang Xiaofei and his mother, Zhang Lan, were exposed for having verbally and physically abused the actress. Additionally, they were accused of “acting” and exploiting the deceased with their antics, to the point of getting banned on Chinese SNS.