The conversation that Jung Hee-won, head of the Low-Speed Aging Research Institute, and former commissioned researcher A reportedly exchanged over several years was made public, bringing the sharp dispute between the two sides to the surface.
On the 6th, Dispatch reported about 4.6 million characters of messages that Professor Jung Hee-won and A are said to have exchanged from December 2023 to July 2025.
The released messages contained circumstances in which A mocked Professor Jung Hee-won by mentioning illnesses and made threatening remarks such as "I have many reporter contacts." On the other hand, Professor Jung Hee-won said of A, "She was fresh, and she clearly contributed to popularizing low-speed aging," explaining that she entrusted A with assisting in writing manuscripts and tasks of communication·organizing·promotion.
Professor Jung revealed about the situation at the time, "I was extremely exhausted mentally and physically from the excessive workload in the medical field." She said she was working alone on call in a geriatric internal medicine department, handling up to 70 hours a week of clinics and night duty, and endured by receiving antidepressants and Spravato treatment. She bowed her head, saying, "It may sound like an excuse, but I was not in my right mind. It is my fault and my responsibility."
However, she drew a firm line regarding some of the allegations raised. Professor Jung said, "I do not expect to be forgiven for my relationship with A," but emphasized, "Forced sexual molestation by coercion is not true. I want to correct what is not true." Regarding A's claim that there was "pressure saying she would be fired if she refused sexual demands," she explained, "It was always A who said she would quit, and I was the one trying to stop her," adding that mentions of dismissal occurred only once in June 2025.
Claims have been made that the conflict between the two sides continued even after the collaboration ended. In response, A's legal representative countered, "The two people's conversations were formed within a special power relationship," and argued, "The disclosure of KakaoTalk conversations and the reporting itself could be legally problematic."
Meanwhile, Representative Jung filed a complaint against A for violating the anti-stalking law and attempted extortion, while A counter-sued on charges of sexual assault, calling it "gender-based violence that occurred within a power relationship." The claims of both sides are expected to be decided through judicial proceedings.<
[Photo] Jung Hee-won YouTube
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