Former Research Associate: "Sexual Harassment and Copyright Infringement Using Position"
Jihee Won's Side: "The Essence of the Case Is Extortion and Stalking"
Jihee Won, Director of the Premature Aging Research Institute and Chief Health Officer of Seoul City, who is known as an authority in the field of "premature aging," filed a criminal complaint against former research associate A for alleged stalking. In response, A's side countered by claiming sexual harassment and copyright infringement arising from the employment and hierarchical relationship. Jihee Won's side rebutted, stating, "The essence of the case is blackmail and stalking," as the legal dispute continues.
Attorney Park Sujin of Hyesuk Law Firm, legal representative for A, issued a statement on the 18th, asserting, "This case involves sexual violence that occurred within a power dynamic based on employment and hierarchy," and claimed, "Director Jihee Won repeatedly made sexual demands by abusing her authority, and the victim felt compelled to comply due to fear of dismissal."
A's side stated that A was in a one-on-one subordinate working structure with Jihee Won, and in addition to providing research support, was also responsible for managing Jihee Won's personal social networking service (SNS) accounts and online community operations. They claimed that sexual demands were made within this relationship, and even after A expressed a desire to stop, pressure was applied by mentioning the possibility of suicide or dismissal.
Regarding the allegation of demanding a divorce, A's side refuted, "A never pressured Jihee Won to divorce; rather, Jihee Won repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with her spouse and in-laws, prompting A to request that she stop." On the copyright issue, they stated, "The core issue is that manuscripts written by A were included in Jihee Won's sole-authored book without consent," and added, "Royalties paid after the fact do not justify unauthorized use."
They further stated, "A graduated from Seoul National University and is currently attending graduate school, having been recognized for professional writing skills," and refuted, "The claim that co-authorship was impossible due to a lack of writing ability is untrue."
Regarding the stalking allegation, A's side denied the charge, stating, "The report was made by Jihee Won to avoid addressing the copyright infringement, after A visited to resolve the issue following Jihee Won's refusal to discuss it." Concerning the temporary restraining order and related measures, they asserted, "This does not mean the court has definitively recognized the criminal facts."
Jihee Won's Side Refutes: "The Essence of the Case Is Blackmail and Stalking"
In response, Jihee Won's side stated, "The essence of this case is not a copyright dispute, but a crime of blackmail and stalking using personal matters as leverage," and argued, "Claims of sexual demands or abuse of power based on status are false, and there is objective evidence to refute them."
Jihee Won's side explained, "Jihee Won resigned as of June 30, 2025, and A has continued to work at the institution since then, making it logically impossible to claim forced contact or a subordinate relationship based on employment." Regarding the copyright issue, they added, "After the publication of the book, A requested copyright recognition, and when the revised and expanded edition was published in July, both parties agreed to list A as a co-author and to split royalties 70:30. The royalties for previous sales, totaling 10.22 million won, were also paid," and stated, "We plan to prove the extent of A's writing contribution in future civil litigation."
Previously, on December 17, Jihee Won revealed that "Research associate A, who worked together, has continuously harassed me since September last year by visiting my home and sending threatening letters," and announced that a criminal complaint had been filed with the police against former research associate A for violations of the Stalking Punishment Act and attempted blackmail.
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