Channel A Interview: "Confused and Unfair"
"All Matters Led by Jeon... Hope for Punishment"
Nam Hyun-hee (42), a former national fencing representative, who became embroiled in fraud allegations involving her remarriage partner Jeon Cheong-jo (27), expressed her frustration, saying, "It feels like I'm having a nightmare." Earlier, Nam announced through a monthly magazine on the 23rd that she was planning to remarry Jeon, a third-generation chaebol 15 years her junior. However, controversy arose after it was revealed that Jeon is female, not male, and suspicions of a prior fraud record surfaced.
Jeon is suspected of living in the Lotte Signiel in Jamsil, Songpa-gu, Seoul, and deceiving people she met through resident and startup seminars by claiming to be an illegitimate child of the Paradise Group, then embezzling money under the pretext of investment solicitation.
In response, Kim Min-seok, a member of the Gangseo District Council in Seoul, announced on the 27th that he plans to submit a petition to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency requesting an investigation into Jeon's fraud allegations, including a total of six people, Nam among them. Kim stated the reason for requesting an investigation into Nam as well was, "Based on the communication records between Nam and the informants, it is possible she was aware of Jeon's crimes," and claimed, "Nam Hyun-hee is not a victim who suffered financial loss but an accomplice."
However, in an interview with Channel A's 'News A' on the 27th, Nam insisted, "Everything was led and orchestrated by Jeon from start to finish." She said, "I can't believe how one person could manipulate so many people; it feels unreal," adding, "I am confused and feel wronged."
When asked if she knew from the beginning that Jeon was female, Nam replied, "Jeon contacted me in January saying she wanted to learn fencing, so I met her." She added, "At that time, Jeon said she was a 28-year-old woman, had a bodyguard for certain reasons, and was preparing to compete against Elon Musk."
She continued, "At first, I felt she liked me a lot as a friend, but over time she expressed love," and "When I met her, she had already undergone gender reassignment from male to female."
Nam said that during discussions about marriage, she suddenly heard from Jeon about pregnancy. Nam explained, "Jeon gave me a fake pregnancy test to make me believe I was pregnant and said, 'I am supposed to inherit Paradise Hotel, so I want to pass it on to my child,'" adding, "I wanted to go to the obstetrics clinic for a checkup, but Jeon kept blocking me, saying, 'I will take responsibility,' so I couldn't go."
To convince Nam that she was a third-generation chaebol, Jeon sought someone to play the role of her mother and even staged phone calls. Nam said that whenever she doubted Jeon's identity, Jeon would call her mother to confirm that she was born in New York and that she was the son of Chairman Jeon.
She added, "There were calls in the early morning from 'Chairman So-and-so,' asking if I could handle the difficulties of becoming a chaebol family daughter-in-law," but "Later, when I checked my phone, I realized Jeon was pretending to be her father."
Finally, Nam said, "It feels like I'm having a nightmare, and I can't believe someone could shamelessly do such devilish things," and expressed, "I hope Jeon is punished."
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