Former fencing athlete Nam Hyun Hee (age 43) has been cleared of accomplice allegations in connection with her ex-partner Jeon Cheong Jo’s (age 28) fraud case after nearly two years.
On September 13, Nam’s legal representative, attorney Son Soo Ho of Son & Partners, announced on Instagram, "We share the news of our victory," posting under the title 'Nam Hyun Hee Fencing Coach Jeon Cheong Jo Case – Full Victory in Damages Lawsuit.' Son stated, "Coach Nam won the 1.1 billion KRW (approx. 794,121 USD) damages lawsuit filed by the plaintiff, who was defrauded by Jeon Cheong Jo. For the past 1 year and 10 months, we have done everything possible to prove Nam’s innocence."
He added, "Since the Jeon Cheong Jo case was widely reported and drew a lot of public attention, we felt it necessary to share the trial results. We hope this puts an end to misunderstandings and speculation."
The day before, the Suwon District Court Seongnam Branch’s 3rd Civil Division dismissed the claim brought by plaintiff A, who lost more than 1.1 billion KRW to Jeon and accused Nam of being an accomplice. The court ruled, "The defendant, like the plaintiff, did not know Jeon’s true identity" and added, "There is no evidence that the defendant aided in the fraudulent acts."
Plaintiff A, a parent at Nam’s fencing academy, grew close to Jeon and was deceived by promises such as, "If you invest 100 million KRW (approx. 72,193 USD)in unlisted stocks, you’ll receive 5 million KRW (approx. 3,610 USD) monthly and have your principal repaid in a year," and "Once listed, the stock could yield at least 10 to 20 times returns." Between April and July 2023, A transferred a total of about 1.1 billion KRW in six transactions. After Jeon’s fraudulent scheme was exposed, A claimed Nam had colluded and sought compensation.
Nam previously drew intense public attention when it was revealed that her then-partner Jeon was, in fact, a woman disguised as a man. Nam had married cyclist Gong Hyo Seok in 2011, with whom she has a daughter, and after divorcing in August 2023, announced remarriage to Jeon just two months later, sparking headlines.
However, Jeon falsely claimed to be the illegitimate child of the Paradise Group chairman and lived as though she were wealthy, during which she defrauded 27 people of over 3 billion KRW (approx. 2.17 million USD). In November 2023, Jeon was sentenced to 13 years in prison under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes.
Although Nam faced allegations of being an “accomplice” or “accessory” in Jeon’s scams, police investigations concluded there was “no charge,” and the case against her was dropped.
Despite this, Nam’s reputation took a heavy hit. In June 2023, she was expelled from the Seoul Fencing Association, and in September 2023, the Seoul Sports Council’s Sports Fairness Committee suspended her coaching license for seven years, effective until August 21, 2031.
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