Kim Ji-eun, a victim of sexual violence from former South Chungcheong Governor Ahn Hee-jung, partially won in the second trial of the damages lawsuit she filed against Ahn and South Chungcheong Province. However, the compensation amount was approximately 83.04 million won, slightly down from the 83.47 million won awarded in the first trial.
The Seoul High Court Civil Division 3-3 (Director General Bae Yong-jun, Gyeon Jong-cheol, Choi Hyun-jong) ruled that in the appeals trial of the damages lawsuit amounting to over 200 million won filed by Kim, "Ahn must pay Kim 83,045,984 won," resulting in a partial victory for Kim.
This is about 420,000 won less than the compensation awarded in the first trial. The first trial ruled in May last year that "Ahn must pay 83,472,044 won, and South Chungcheong Province must pay 53,472,044 won jointly with Ahn." However, the court did not disclose the reasons for its ruling that day.
Park Won-gyeong, the attorney representing Kim, told reporters after the ruling that "the amount seems to have been slightly adjusted because the part that was judged as the projected damages in the first trial was recalculated based on the actual expenditures over time." He added, "We will need to review the detailed reasoning of the court after receiving the ruling document and analyze it to decide whether to appeal further."
Previously, Kim disclosed that she was sexually assaulted and harassed by Ahn while working as his secretary in March 2018. Ahn was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison in September 2019 for coercive sexual harassment and was released upon serving his term in August 2022. Kim filed a damages lawsuit in July 2020 against Ahn for his sexual crimes and secondary harm, claiming 300 million won for the PTSD she suffered due to these incidents.
The first trial ruled in May last year that Kim had partially won, ordering Ahn and South Chungcheong Province to jointly compensate Kim 83,472,044 won. The first trial court stated, "Among the secondary harms claimed by the plaintiff, Ahn's complicity is acknowledged for leaking the medical records included in the criminal records by his wife and posting defamatory messages." It added that "South Chungcheong Province has liability for damages due to illegal acts such as Ahn's coercive sexual harassment, as there is a correlation with his official duties." Kim's side appealed the first trial ruling.