SEOUL (KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Putting a fresh spin on a drawn-out legal dispute with his former girlfriend, singer and actor Kim Hyun Joong on Thursday (Sept 17) said he will take full responsibility for her newborn baby if the paternity test shows he is the father.

Kim, who began his mandatory military service in mid-May, expressed his intention through his lawyer. "The only thing I can say right now is that I will take full legal responsibility," he said in a letter read by his legal representative Lee Jae Man at a press conference in Seoul.

Kim has already taken the paternity test in the army, while his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Choi, has been asked to have her child tested to confirm the biological relationship, Lee said.

If the test proves positive, Kim is willing to exercise custody rights over the baby, so long as Choi agrees, the lawyer told reporters.

Notwithstanding the paternity test, Kim does not have any intention to reach a compromise with Choi in the ongoing legal dispute, Lee said.

The dispute traces back to August 2014, when Choi accused Kim of assaulting her, claiming a fractured rib. Kim's lawyer later confirmed that the actor paid 600 million won (S$718,585) in a settlement and that Choi had dropped the charges.

Early this year, there were rumours that Choi was pregnant with Kim's child, but she could not be contacted.

In May, she filed another suit against him, seeking damages for her psychological suffering.