Police clear Olympic fencer Nam Hyun-hee of fraud

Jeon Cheong-jo, left and Nam Hyun-hee [YONHAP]

Olympic fencer Nam Hyun-hee has been cleared of fraud, Seoul Songpa Police Precinct said Monday.

Nam had been questioned by the police as an accomplice since last November after her ex-lover and ex-fiancé Jeon Cheong-jo was accused of fraud.

Jeon was indicted last November after swindling some 3.07 billion won ($2.3 million) from 27 young adults, mostly in their 20s and 30s, between April 2022 and October 2023.

The police decided not to refer Nam to the prosecution on fraud charges.

Police make such a decision when the suspect’s actions or behaviors do not constitute a crime by law or when the police cannot meet the burden of proof.

The police conducted cross-examinations with Nam and Jeon three times to determine whether the couple colluded in criminal behavior. However, the investigative authority could not find concrete evidence proving Nam and Jeon were conspirators.

Jeon was sentenced to 12 years in prison for fraud at its first trial last month.

The prosecution said Jeon defrauded victims by pretending to be an out-of-wedlock son of a conglomerate family. Most victims were acquaintances on social media or parents of students enrolled in Nam’s fencing academy.

BY HYEON YE-SEUL [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]