SEE ALSO: Gallup Korea poll data reveals the most popular singers and songs of 2024

Back on January 20, Lee accused 'Kill Me, Heal Me' of plagiarizing his idea behind his 2011 webtoon 'Dr. Jekyll is Hyde,' which the current SBS drama 'Hyde, Jekyll, Me,' is based on. He stated publicly on Twitter that he first came up with the romantic comedy concept of a man with dissociative disorder identity disorder and a woman falling in love with each other.

At the time, 'Kill Me, Heal Me' responded that the accusation was nonsensical. 'Hyde, Jekyll, Me' also stated, "Lee Choong Ho's drama has its own, separate charm," establishing that there was a difference between the two dramas and seeming to put an end to the plagiarism accusations. 

However, on March 11, Lee revealed during an interview that he still believed 'Kill Me, Heal Me' plagiarized his 2011 work, stating the same reasons he originally did in his tweet back in January. 

On the same day, 'Kill Me, Heal Me' refuted Lee's accusations, saying that their drama's writer Jin Soo Wan had already written a draft of 'Kill Me, Heal Me' back in 2008. They stated, "Jin Soo Wan completed his original idea for a story about a character with dissociative identity disorder in 2008. Chronologically, Jin could not have plagiarized." 

According to 'Kill Me, Heal Me,' Jin's 2008 script was originally going to be broadcasted as a drama titled 'Nobody Knows.' However, because the public didn't seem ready for such a plot, containing fantasy elements and strong characters, Jin put 'Nobody Knows' on the back burner and worked on 'The Moon that Embraces the Sun' instead. Later, he renamed 'Nobody Knows' to 'Kill Me, Heal Me,' and prepared it for broadcast starting in 2012. 

A representative explained, "When 'Kill Me, Heal' was first swept up in this controversy, [the production staff] wanted to just focus on the drama; knowing that our drama was based on a 2008 draft, we saw no value in responding [to the accusations]. We would like this to pass quietly, but if legal action was to be taken later, we believe that we can end this cleanly."

Another representative stated, "Honestly, 'Kill Me, Heal Me' is not just a love story between a man with dissociative identity disorder and a woman. The basic structure is not about a simple love triangle; writers Lee Chang Wook and Jin Soo Wan just experienced bad timing."