A woman in her 30s, identified as A, a former colleague of Dr. Jeong Hee-won (head of the Slow Aging Research Institute), who built recognition by publicizing the concept of "slow aging," has filed a complaint accusing Jeong of forcible molestation, among other charges. After Jeong reported A for stalking, A filed a countersuit.
According to A's side on the 21st, A submitted a complaint to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on the 19th accusing Jeong of forcible molestation by abuse of power, false accusation, defamation, and violations of the anti-stalking law.
A's side is said to have submitted as evidence social media (SNS) messages and phone recordings that purportedly show Jeong making sexual demands. A also says she is suffering from Jeong's continued contacts as the case has become widely known.
Earlier, Jeong had filed a police complaint accusing A, who worked at the institute as a commissioned researcher, of attempted extortion and housebreaking, saying A had been stalking Jeong since July.
A's side argues this case is "gender-based violence that occurred within a power relationship." They say Jeong repeatedly made sexual demands by exploiting position, and A had no choice but to comply for fear of being fired.
In response, Jeong said in a post on YouTube on the 19th, "The other party's claims are clearly fictional, and in particular, the claim that the relationship was by abuse of power is absolutely not true."