Former national fencing representative Nam Hyun-hee's ex-lover, Jeon Cheong-jo, who deceived others claiming to be a 5.1 billion asset owner and heir to a conglomerate, has been accused of cheating dozens of millions while in prison.
On the 12th, the MBC Every1 entertainment program 'Hidden Eye' focused on the story of Jeon Cheong-jo, who is serving time for allegedly defrauding over 3 billion won.
During the broadcast, cases of Jeon Cheong-jo deceiving inmates during his previous imprisonment were revealed. Jeon was sentenced to 2 years and 3 months in prison in 2020 and was convicted for extorting about 300 million won from over ten people over a three-year period starting in 2018.
Profiler Kwon Il-yong noted, 'Jeon Cheong-jo's fraud acts exceeded imagination,' and added, 'He pretended to be pregnant to receive good treatment while easily living a comfortable life among fellow inmates.' He continued, 'What's more shocking is that he developed a romantic relationship with a foreign inmate in a women's prison while maintaining a pen-pal relationship with a male inmate.'
Additionally, he used a photo of his younger brother to deceive women into marrying him as a man, while approaching men as a woman to defraud money, changing his gender according to the situation. The real 'gender' of Jeon Cheong-jo, who referred to himself as 'transgender,' was also revealed in the broadcast.
The gender controversy surrounding Jeon Cheong-jo surfaced after Nam Hyun-hee announced her remarriage two months after her divorce in August 2023. Jeon, who met Nam at a fencing academy after being released from prison, later developed into a romantic relationship. At that time, Jeon introduced himself as an heir to a conglomerate with 51 trillion won.
However, following Nam Hyun-hee's remarriage announcement, online controversy arose regarding Jeon Cheong-jo's gender. It was suspected that Jeon had committed fraud while changing genders and that he was not a man but a woman.
Profiler Kwon stated, 'When Jeon Cheong-jo first came to learn fencing from Nam Hyun-hee, he claimed to be a woman,' and added, 'He said he was a man from birth, but had the wrong physical structure. He claimed to have had testicular transplant surgery at the age of 25.' When asked if testicular transplant surgery was medically possible, Kwon answered, 'Of course, it is impossible with modern medical technology.'
Nevertheless, the decisive factor that led Nam Hyun-hee to trust Jeon Cheong-jo was the positive result from a pregnancy test. Kwon mentioned, 'Nam Hyun-hee received a positive result from the pregnancy test. When she intended to get diagnosed at the obstetrics and gynecology clinic, Jeon Cheong-jo said, 'I will take care of everything, so you don't need to go to the hospital,' preventing her from going. This created a situation where she had no choice but to believe the results of the pregnancy tests, which were nothing more than toys that showed two lines upon contact with tap water.'
Subsequently, Jeon Cheong-jo approached people around Nam Hyun-hee. He also conducted online side business seminars, defrauding 27 students and acquaintances of over 3 billion won. Charged with this incident, Jeon was sentenced to 13 years in prison for fraud under the Specific Economic Crimes Aggravated Punishment Act in November 2023.
Meanwhile, the police, who conducted the investigation into Nam Hyun-hee, who was claimed to be an accomplice in Jeon Cheong-jo's fraud, decided not to pursue the case due to 'insufficient evidence,' clearing her of suspicion.