'Psychological Damage' Compensation Lawsuit Second Trial Underway
Ahn Hee-jung's Side Claims "Need for Physical Re-examination"
Kim Ji-eun's Side Refutes "Re-examination Itself Is Painful"
Former Chungnam Governor Ahn Hee-jung, who served time for sexually assaulting his executive secretary, is facing a damages lawsuit from the victim, Kim Ji-eun, amid disputes between both parties over a physical re-examination.
The Civil Division 3-3 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Bae Yong-jun, Gyeon Jong-cheol, Choi Hyun-jong) held the first hearing on the 27th for Kim's claim for approximately 300 million KRW in damages against former Governor Ahn and Chungcheongnam-do. On this day, Ahn’s side emphasized the necessity of a physical re-examination regarding the mental damages. Physical re-examinations are often conducted in damages cases to prove the victim’s harm or to assess the extent of the damages.
The first trial decided to proceed with a physical examination after Kim claimed to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to sexual violence and secondary victimization. However, hospitals requested for the examination repeatedly declined, and the submission of examination and entrusted results was delayed, causing two years to pass. Ahn’s defense attorney stated, "The physical examination should have been conducted, but the examination results came out and were used as factual inquiry materials, which we are dissatisfied with. A re-examination is necessary," adding, "If that is not possible, it is necessary to receive an evaluation from the court’s professional psychological committee."
On the other hand, Kim’s side argued, "It seems sufficient to substitute with evidentiary documents. The physical examination caused the trial to take a long time," and added, "The original trial court judged that there was no situation to change the existing examination. The re-examination itself causes pain to the plaintiff."
The court stated, "It is well known that re-examinations are rarely conducted and are generally not accepted unless there are special circumstances in handling the case," and added, "We do not know if a different result will come out. The court is not positive about it," but said it would review the matter. The next hearing is scheduled for January 22 of next year.
In September 2019, members of the Joint Countermeasures Committee for the Ahn Hee-jung Sexual Violence Case held a press conference in front of the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min
Earlier, former Governor Ahn was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison for sexually assaulting and sexually harassing Kim Ji-eun 10 times between July 2017 and February 2018 during his tenure as Chungnam Governor. He was released from Yeoju Prison on August 4, 2022, and is currently in seclusion in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province.
In July 2020, Kim demanded compensation for pain and suffering and medical expenses related to the incident, but Ahn’s side denied liability for damages related to secondary victimization, stating, "The criminal case result is only one piece of evidence." Subsequently, the first trial court ruled partially in favor of the plaintiff, ordering Ahn and Chungcheongnam-do to jointly pay 83.47 million KRW in damages. However, Kim appealed the decision in June. She stated, "I will continue to fight to the end against the unrepentant perpetrator Ahn Hee-jung, Chungnam Provincial Office, and the secondary perpetrators to take a meaningful step forward."
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