Former Korean Women’s Fencing Team Member Suspected of Conspiring with her Ex-Boyfriend to Commit a 200 Million Yen Fraud

There is a big commotion in the Korean sports world.

A former representative of the women’s fencing team is suspected of conspiring with her ex-boyfriend in a massive fraud case. The woman in the middle of the story is Nam Hyun-hee (42). Nam is a “beautiful fencer” who won the individual silver medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the team bronze medal at the London Olympics in 2012, and is overwhelmingly popular in Japan.

 

What happened to her?

“In August this year, she announced my divorce from a former cyclist, but it was two months later, in October, that she revealed the existence of a ‘new boyfriend’ who later became a problem.” In an interview with a women’s fashion magazine, she said, “I plan to remarry to Jeon Jeong Jo, 27, a third-generation conglomerate member who runs a fencing school and is 15 years younger than me.” Nam is a single mother with a 10-year-old daughter, and she seemed happy in the interview and on her SNS.

However, the situation soon took a turn for the worse. The online media outlet Dispatch exposed a series of marriage fraud cases that Jeong had allegedly committed in the past. The number of victims reached at least 15, and the amount of money he had swindled was said to be close to 200 million yen. It was also discovered that Jeong had been married several times in the past.

It was the victims’ money.

“Ms. Nam initially defended Mr. Jeong, but she must have fallen out of love with him after he was criticized for lying about his title as a “third-generation conglomerate”. She separated from Mr. Jeong and moved from the room she shared with him to her parents’ house where her mother was staying.”

Nam appeared on “CBS Radio” on October 30 and emphasized that she was the victim, saying, “It seems that [Mr. Jeong] used me to commit the crime.” She accused Mr. Jeong of stalking her even after their breakup. However, the allegations are also focused on Ms. Nam.

 

“It is known that Ms. Nam received from Mr. Jeong a Bentley, a luxury car valued at about 40 million yen, as well as numerous brand-name bags and other items. Mr. Jeong was arrested on October 31, but in an interview just before his arrest, he said, ‘I bought her (luxury brand goods) because Ms. Nam begged me to do so.’ The money was from the victim of the fraud. If Ms. Nam knew that the money was obtained through fraud and wanted the luxury goods, she is suspected of collusion and aiding and abetting.”

“Furthermore, Ms. Nam introduced Mr. Jeong to the Korean Fencing Association as “an entrepreneur who can donate 300 million yen” and requested their support. However, Ms. Nam insisted on keeping the source of the funds ‘anonymous’. In the end, the association turned down the donation. It is said that Ms. Nam was aware of Mr. Jeong’s past involvement in a corrupt case, and that is why she requested anonymity,” said a reporter stationed in Seoul for a national newspaper.

Ms. Nam reiterated, “I was not an accomplice. I was thoroughly taken advantage of.” She has denied any involvement in the case by Jeong. The Korean National Police Agency summoned Ms. Nam on November 6 and interviewed her for 10 hours. They are carefully investigating whether she was involved in the fraudulent act.