Nam Hyun-hee was cleared of charges related to her ex-lover Jeon Cheong-jo's fraud case.
On the 12th, attorney Son Soo-ho posted on his personal social media the message "Nam Hyun-hee fencing coach wins all damages suit related to the Jeon Cheong-jo case" and stated, "in the 1.1 billion won damages suit filed by a plaintiff who was defrauded of a large sum by Jeon Cheong-jo against coach Nam Hyun-hee, Coach Nam won on all counts."
He added, "the plaintiff alleged Coach Nam was an accomplice of Jeon Cheong-jo, but the court did not accept that. The court ruled, 'Nam Hyun-hee, like the plaintiff, did not know the true identity of Jeon Cheong-jo (judgment, p. 9).'," and emphasized, "Nam Hyun-hee is also a victim deceived by Jeon Cheong-jo."
In August 2023, Nam Hyun-hee announced on her social media that she had divorced former national cycling team member Gong Hyo-seok and confessed, "someone has come into my and my daughter's family who gives sincere, blind love to us." Her remarriage partner was the 15-years-younger Jeon Cheong-jo.
In an interview, Jeon Cheong-jo said he majored in equestrianism and was engaged in arts and physical education training businesses and IT businesses both domestically and abroad. He said he met Nam Hyun-hee to learn fencing for business reasons, their teacher-student relationship developed into a romantic one, and they even posed affectionately for pictorials.
However, after the remarriage announcement, questions about Jeon Cheong-jo poured in online. Although introduced as a third-generation chaebol, there was almost no known domestic record, and images from high school showed a look that raised uncontrollable suspicions about identity and even the exact gender.
Reports eventually surfaced claiming that "he/she is neither the extramarital child of a conglomerate chairman, nor a former equestrian athlete, nor a man but a woman," and that "about seven victims were defrauded of roughly 300 million won." Nam Hyun-hee, who had announced her marriage to him, fell from grace in an instant and faced suspicions of being an accomplice.
Jeon Cheong-jo was arrested on fraud charges under the Act on Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, and Nam Hyun-hee rebutted, "I had no knowledge of Jeon Cheong-jo's fraudulent acts and was used by Jeon Cheong-jo. It cannot be said that I did things I did not do." After a court battle with the fraud victim who accused her of being an accomplice, she ultimately won and was cleared.
Below is the full text of the post left by Son Soo-ho.
Nam Hyun-hee fencing coach wins all damages suit related to the Jeon Cheong-jo case
I bring news of a win.
In the 1.1 billion won damages suit filed by a plaintiff who was defrauded of a large sum by Jeon Cheong-jo against coach Nam Hyun-hee, Coach Nam won on all counts.
The plaintiff alleged Coach Nam was an accomplice of Jeon Cheong-jo, but the court did not accept that.
The court ruled, "Nam Hyun-hee, like the plaintiff, did not know the true identity of Jeon Cheong-jo (judgment, p. 9)."
We did our best over the past 1 year and 10 months to prove Coach Nam's innocence.
Through this, we received confirmation from the court that "Nam Hyun-hee is also a victim deceived by Jeon Cheong-jo."
The Jeon Cheong-jo case has already been widely reported and many people are interested, so the trial result should be made known to the public.
With a sincere hope that there will be no further misunderstandings or unfounded speculation, I present the key points of this judgment.
1. Denial of intentional aiding and abetting fraud
* The plaintiff's investment proposal and receipt of investment funds were conducted by Jeon Cheong-jo and a security chief, so there was no part in which Nam Hyun-hee was directly involved. (p. 7)
* When asked by police "What role did Nam Hyun-hee play?", the plaintiff testified, "Nam Hyun-hee did not directly mention anything related to the investment." (p. 7)
2. Denial of negligent aiding and abetting fraud
(1) Nam Hyun-hee did not know of the plaintiff's investment
* When asked by police "When you invested in Jeon Cheong-jo, did Nam Hyun-hee know?", the plaintiff testified, "At the time of the first investment, Jeon Cheong-jo said it must be kept secret from Nam Hyun-hee. (omitted) So I did not tell her." (p. 10)
* Jeon Cheong-jo instructed investors who were relatives and acquaintances of Nam Hyun-hee, whom he met through Nam, to keep everything strictly secret. (p. 10)
* Even while receiving investment funds from Nam Hyun-hee's nephews, Jeon Cheong-jo told them not to tell Nam Hyun-hee about the investments. (p. 10)
(2) Nam Hyun-hee did not know the true identity of Jeon Cheong-jo
* It appears Nam Hyun-hee was also deceived by Jeon Cheong-jo's lies and believed he was truly a third-generation chaebol. (p. 11)
* Nam Hyun-hee, like the plaintiff, did not know the true identity of Jeon Cheong-jo. (p. 9)
* Nam Hyun-hee did not know that Jeon Cheong-jo was receiving investment funds from people around her. (p. 12)
3. Conclusion
The plaintiff's claim is without merit and is therefore dismissed in its entirety.
We will continue to do our best for the interests of our client. We will handle the remaining procedures accurately.
We ask for your support and encouragement. Thank you.
Jihyeok Law Firm
Representative attorney Son Soo-ho
[photo] Knowing Bros
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