"The Woman in Hwang Ui-jo's Video is a Married Broadcaster"… Controversy Over 'Secondary Victimization'

Hwang Ui-jo's Side Denies Illegal Filming Allegations Again
"The Other Woman Is a Public Figure and Married"
Video Shared by Brother-in-Law Claims "Hacked"

Hwang Ui-jo (31), a national soccer team player, has once again denied allegations of illegal filming, but controversy has arisen as his statement partially revealed the identity of the woman involved.

Soccer national team player Hwang Ui-jo.
Photo by Yonhap News

According to a statement from Daehwan Law Firm, legal representatives of Hwang Ui-jo on the 22nd, Hwang, who is accused of illegally filming sexual scenes with past partners, claimed that the woman was aware of the filming and engaged in the relationship afterward.

Hwang's side stated, "The footage was viewed together with the woman, who was a romantic partner at the time. Although all videos were deleted by mutual agreement during the relationship, they continued dating for over a year and filmed additional footage." They added, "The woman claims it was illegal due to lack of explicit consent, but considering the long-term relationship and mutual awareness of filming and deletion, it is questionable whether this can be considered so-called 'molka' (hidden camera filming)."

They further explained, "The woman is a public figure involved in broadcasting activities and is married, so we refrained from official responses to prevent exposing her identity and sought to reveal the truth through strict investigation by authorities." They continued, "Reports treating Hwang's crime as a fait accompli and misleadingly presenting the woman's one-sided account as the truth led us to clarify defensively."

However, criticism has been raised that partially revealing the woman's identity could cause secondary harm. It was argued that there was no need to specify that "the woman is a public figure involved in broadcasting." This raised concerns that the woman, who fears full exposure of her identity, might be pressured.

Hwang's side said, "If Hwang had illegally filmed, would he have contacted the victim to inform her of the harm and urged her to file a complaint? Please judge this within common sense." They also stated, "We are considering attending the confrontation investigation together with the woman regarding the malicious allegations."

Hwang Ui-jo: "Filmed with consent" vs Victim: "Never agreed"

Soccer national team player Hwang Ui-jo.
Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier in June, a social media (SNS) account claimed, "Hwang Ui-jo has had relationships with multiple women and caused harm," and distributed multiple videos.

At that time, Hwang reported that his phone was stolen and that he was threatened with photo distribution, immediately filing a police complaint. It was reported that he told the police the videos were filmed with consent.

However, on the 21st, Lee Eun-ui, the legal representative of the victim, stated in a press release, "The victim never consented to being filmed by Hwang Ui-jo initially. During the investigation, there were times when the victim was unaware that filming had occurred."

She added, "Despite the victim's repeated refusal and requests for deletion, these were ignored, and illegal filming continued. In such circumstances, the only thing the victim could do was repeatedly ask Hwang Ui-jo to delete the footage."

She also said, "The victim was angry and anxious but could not help worrying that Hwang Ui-jo might leak the illegal footage he possessed."

The Person Who Leaked Hwang Ui-jo’s Private Life Is His Sister-in-Law... Denies Criminal Acts

Soccer national team player Hwang Ui-jo.
Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, the person who leaked Hwang Ui-jo’s private life and threatened him was revealed to be his sister-in-law, A. She accompanied Hwang’s older brother on overseas business trips and effectively acted as Hwang’s manager.

During police investigation, sister-in-law A questioned whether her phone had been hacked and denied the allegations, but police officials dismissed her claims, stating, "The charges have been substantiated, and hacking is not possible."

The police are continuing their investigation into Hwang Ui-jo’s illegal filming allegations. On the 18th, the police summoned Hwang as a suspect, conducted a search and seizure of his mobile phone, and are currently performing digital forensics.