Former Researcher’s Side: “Contact Itself Constitutes Further Stalking”
Allegations of Power-Based and Sexual Exploitation Resurface
It has been revealed that Dr. Heewon Jung, known as an expert in "slow aging," sent a text message to former commissioned researcher Mr. A, whom she had previously accused of stalking, expressing regret over filing the complaint. On December 26, the law firm Hyeseok, representing Mr. A, released the contents of the text message Dr. Jung sent to Mr. A on the 19th. According to the press release from Hyeseok, the message included phrases such as "Please save me," "Me, slow aging, and you as well," "Can we not try to rebuild things?" and "I deeply regret what happened on October 20. I am sorry."
Message sent by Dr. Heewon Jung to former researcher Mr. A on the 19th and the researcher's employment contract. Law Firm Hyeseok
The October 20 mentioned in the message refers to the day Mr. A visited Dr. Jung's home to protest copyright infringement, after which Dr. Jung reported Mr. A for violating the anti-stalking law. According to Hyeseok, before sending the message, Dr. Jung called Mr. A's father and criticized Mr. A for about 10 minutes, and also sent Mr. A a message via KakaoTalk. After receiving no reply to the text, Dr. Jung attempted to call Mr. A, but was unable to reach him.
The law firm Hyeseok stated, "Dr. Jung directly contacted the victim after realizing that her sexually suggestive messages to the victim in the past might be reported in the media," and added, "While publicly portraying the victim as the perpetrator, she is simultaneously engaging in threats and attempts at appeasement behind the scenes." Hyeseok further emphasized, "This behavior constitutes stalking in itself, especially since she ignored a request made just two weeks ago not to contact the victim directly."
Hyeseok also refuted Dr. Jung's description of Mr. A as a 'research colleague,' arguing that the relationship was actually one of power based on employment. The disclosed contract shows that Mr. A was hired as a commissioned researcher for a project led by Dr. Jung, who was the principal investigator. However, Mr. A did not perform actual research assistance work, but was instead responsible for Dr. Jung's personal external activities.
Hyeseok asserted, "The core of this case lies in both the issue of copyright infringement and the sexual and personal exploitation enabled by the employment relationship," adding, "Dr. Jung is not a victim of gaslighting, but the perpetrator." Furthermore, Hyeseok claimed that Dr. Jung asked Mr. A to act out a 'dominant and sadistic female persona,' describing it as "a typical structure in which a person in power forces a subordinate to adopt a specific personality and role."
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