Nam Hyun-hee may not be as innocent as she claims, says forensic psychologist

Olympian Nam Hyun-hee appears on a radio show on Tuesday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Olympic fencing medalist Nam Hyun-hee might not be as innocent as she says in connection with the fraud committed by her ex-fiancé Jeon Cheong-jo, Korea's leading forensic psychologist, Lee Soo-jung, told SBS.

Lee said in a radio interview with SBS on Tuesday Nam may have used her engagement announcement last week as a means of deflecting attention from a sexual assault case involving a coach at her fencing academy.

"It is questionable if [42-year-old Nam] were a victim of herself and have never noticed the fraud that was being committed [by Jeon]," Lee said.

She added gaslighting typically occurs when a victim is vulnerable and isolated, but Nam, with her exceptional decision-making abilities and a prominent status as a national athlete, appeared to be neither vulnerable nor isolated.

"Nam was able to meet her family whenever she wanted," Lee said. "As a woman who runs her own business, would she have been gaslit by someone like Jeon?"

Lee said there's a need for an investigation into the connection between the sexual assault allegations at Nam's academy and Jeon's case.

She also questioned the circumstances surrounding the interview that unveiled Nam and Jeon's engagement in a monthly magazine, which portrayed Jeon as the illegitimate heir to Paradise Group, a hotel and casino conglomerate.

Paradise Group later denied any association with Jeon.

Lee said Nam may have had a motive behind seeking an interview, as the engagement between the two already living together didn't seem to be a sensational event, noting the magazine wouldn't have pursued an interview with Jeon alone, who is not widely recognized.

"We have to consider what Nam's need was to desperately seek an interview," Lee said. "The interview was about announcing her marriage to a third-generation conglomerate scion."

Lee said it is possible Nam used the marriage announcement as a diversion from the allegations of sexual assaults at her academy.

The Olympian previously divorced her former husband of 12 years, cyclist Gong Hyo-suk, in August.

Channel A first reported on allegations of sexual assaults by a fencing coach working for a famous medalist fencer on Oct. 18.

The article on Nam's engagement with Jeon was published on Oct. 24.

The police had received reports of sexual harassment committed against two teenagers by a coach at Nam's fencing academy in July.

The coach was reported to have sexually assaulted a high school student who had been training at the academy between October 2021 and December 2022.

The coach was also accused of sexually assaulting a middle school student for seven months starting in November.

Jeon reportedly threatened the middle school student from making the matter more public.

When confronted by the parents, Nam reportedly denied responsibility, claiming she had no information beyond the claims the victims made.

Nam, in a recording released by JTBC, said she couldn't confirm the occurrence of the sexual assault based solely on the students' accounts.

The accused coach died by suicide when Nam held meetings with the parents.

Jeon's criminal past came to light, including more than two years in prison for fraud following the magazine article's publication.

It was also revealed that Jeon is biologically female.

Since then, Nam said she had been gaslighted by Jeon.

She even asserted that she believed Jeon's claim of being able to procreate, citing a testicle implant donated by Jeon's brother.

Nam said Jeon told her that Paradise Group hid his brother because of his disability.

Nam also said she had deliberately avoided examining Jeon below the waist out of fear that her feelings for Jeon might change.

The Olympian claimed she had no knowledge of the fraud that Jeon was perpetrating and suggested that Jeon had used Nam's name for fraudulent activities.

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