Former national fencing champion Nam Hyun-hee unveiled the shocking details of her tumultuous relationship with Jeon Cheong-jo.
On October 23, Nam Hyun-hee announced her remarriage to Jeon Cheong-jo, the supposed third-generation heir of a business conglomerate, revealing an exclusive interview and wedding photos through Women's Chosun magazine.
According to the interview, Jeon Cheong-jo specialized in horse riding in New York and is currently running an etiquette and physical education institute for children in Korea. Their relationship reportedly began when Jeon took fencing lessons from Nam.
The interview also revealed that Jeon is the third-generation heir of a wealthy family and that Nam Hyun-hee and her daughter Kong Ha-i live in Jeon's residence in Signiel. Furthermore, they discussed plans for a second child.
Upon the interview's release, netizens raised suspicions about Jeon's real identity. In response, Nam Hyun-hee warned, "Strong actions will be taken against false or malicious posts that spread misinformation."
However, on the 25th, Dispatch reported that Jeon Cheong-jo is not a male nor a third-generation heir, but a convicted scam artist. According to released court documents, Jeon was convicted of seven counts of fraud and was sentenced to 2 years and 3 months in prison in December 2020. The court noted, "Jeon deceived many victims and embezzled nearly 300 million won. The defendant mostly failed to compensate the victims."
Netizens also discovered a past appearance of Jeon on Korea Occupational Broadcasting. In the footage, Jeon was shown as a female student with long hair, attending the Korean Horse Racing and Livestock High School in Namwon City, Jeollabuk-do. Another source from 2012 also featured Jeon associated with the same school.
On the same day, Jeon addressed on social media, "Strong actions will be taken against false information and malicious rumors about me."
The doubts and reports about Jeon's identity didn't stop. MBC's 'Real Story Investigation' revealed they are investigating Jeon, and various media outlets shared testimonies from Jeon's scam victims and high school classmates.
In an interview with News1, an acquaintance of Jeon stated, "Among classmates, we knew not to trust Jeon due to her chronic lying. A few years ago, during a gathering, Jeon claimed to have undergone transgender surgery and could conceive. Friends didn't believe her."
A YouTube channel unveiled a recorded call with Jeon, where she mentioned disagreements with Nam and didn't clarify the controversies surrounding her gender and past.
On the morning of the 26th, breaking news reported that Jeon was arrested on stalking charges against Nam Hyun-hee. The Seongnam Jungwon Police Station confirmed they are investigating Jeon for violating the anti-stalking law. Jeon was accused of repeatedly knocking on the door of Nam Hyun-hee's mother's house at 1 am, allegedly after being informed of their breakup by Nam.
At 6:30 am, Jeon expressed severe distress, claiming she hadn't eaten or slept for three days. After a preliminary investigation, the police released her.
Later, Women's Chosun reported that Nam Hyun-hee and Jeon Cheong-jo broke up on the 25th. Nam revealed that police came to their residence in Signiel on the 25th morning and informed her that a complaint had been filed against Jeon for attempted fraud.
Nam further stated that she was aware that Jeon had undergone gender reassignment surgery and is now male. However, she felt completely deceived regarding Jeon's claims of pregnancy, discovering the pregnancy tests Jeon provided were all fake.
During an interview, Jeon showed a resident registration number starting with 1 (indicating male) to a Women's Chosun reporter. However, according to News1, when police arrested and identified Jeon, her resident registration number indicated she was female.
Meanwhile, there were claims that Jeon was an illegitimate child of the 'Paradise Group'. The group denied these allegations, stating they were completely false.
Attorney Son Su-ho, who represented a notable client named Nancy Lang, mentioned on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' about Jeon's claims of being a third-generation heir and her intent to compete with Elon Musk. He reminded listeners of Wang Jin-jin (real name Jeon Jun-ju), who claimed to be an illegitimate child of Paradise Group and married Nancy Lang. Attorney Son advised caution, explaining that scams based on impersonating illegitimate children continue due to the secretive nature of such claims.
