SEONGNAM, South Korea, – The dubious fiance of two-time Olympic fencing medalist Nam Hyun-hee was briefly detained on stalking charges Thursday, after she reportedly expressed a desire to break up following allegations that her boyfriend is actually a woman with a history of multiple fraud convictions.
Their relationship has been one of the most talked-about issues this week since Nam introduced Jeon Cheong-jo as her boyfriend and a third-generation scion of a family-owned conglomerate, saying they plan to get married.
In August, Nam said she had divorced her husband of 12 years, national cyclist Gong Hyo-suk.
But a flurry of skepticism and rumors about Jeon’s background emerged, with news outlets reporting that Jeon had been convicted of fraud several times, including swindling under the pretense of marriage. Jeon was also reported to be legally a woman and not affiliated with any conglomerate family or chaebol.
On Thursday, the police detained Jeon in front of the home of Nam’s mother in Seongnam, south of Seoul, for repeatedly pounding on the door and ringing the door bell at 1:09 a.m., saying: “I am an acquaintance. Let me in.”
Nam’s family reported Jeon to the police, and Jeon was arrested at the scene.
The police identified Jeon as a woman in her 20s.
Jeon was released hours later and police plan to bring her in for questioning again.
Jeon reportedly visited the home of Nam’s mother after Nam said she would break up with her.
Nam won silver in foil at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and bronze in the women’s team foil at the 2012 London Olympics. She has been running a fencing academy in Seoul since 2020.
Source: Yonhap News Agency