Prosecution seeks 15-Year sentence for ex-fiancé of Olympian fencer

The prosecutor’s office claimed that although the 28-year-old Jeon Cheong-jo defrauded 3 billion won from 27 victims by posing as an illegitimate child of a Korean hotel and casino conglomerate chairman. Jeon was engaged to Olympian Nam Hyun0-hee.

Jeon Cheong-jo, ex-fiance of Olympian fencer, Nam Hyun-hee, in an interview last year. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The prosecutor’s office on Wednesday requested a 15-year prison sentence for Jeon Cheong-jo, the former fiancé of Olympian fencer Nam Hyun-hee, who pretended to be a scion of a conglomerate.

The accomplice, who posed as Jeon’s bodyguard, faces a requested seven-year sentence.

The prosecutor’s office claimed that although the 28-year-old Jeon confessed to her crimes, she defrauded 3 billion won from 27 victims by posing as an illegitimate child of a Korean conglomerate family.

Jeon told victims that she and Nam was opening an exclusive private academy to help students gain admission to prestigious U.S. schools.

Some of the victims were parents of students attending the fencing school in Gangnam run by the 42-year-old Olympian.

Prosecutors emphasized that Jeon committed the crimes to lead a luxurious life with the swindled money.

“The chance that the victims will recover their losses from Jeon’s crime is unlikely,” the prosecution argued.

Jeon faces charges of fraud and forging documents, including fabricating an identity card to pose as a male.

The ex-fiancé through her lawyer, asked the court for leniency, emphasizing that she wasn't the monster portrayed in the public eye.

She claimed that the crimes were driven by her deep love for the Olympian fencer.

Highlighting that she had undergone breast surgery to live as a man for the Olympian, Jeon said that all criminal proceeds were given to Nam.

She had claimed that she barely took any for herself.

Jeon's fraudulent activities came to light when a magazine article in October last year introduced her as the Olympian fencer’s fiancé.

The article reported that Jeon was a third-generation scion of a major Korean casino and hotel group.

The engagement news emerged two months after Nam's divorce.

Suspicions about Jeon's gender were immediately raised, leading to an online exposure by people that knew Jeon.

Initially, Nam denied accusations against Jeon of being a woman. In a radio show, she even said that she had seen Jeon’s ID, which clearly indicated her gender as male.

After Jeon's arrest in November, the fencer turned in all the luxury goods she had received from Jeon, including a 380 million won Bentley, to the police.

Nam is also under investigation by the Songpa police for her alleged involvement in the fraud.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]