Father of Former Cheongjo Detained on Fraud Charges Worth 1.6 Billion KRW Arrested

"Residence Unclear and Risk of Flight"

Jeon Chang-su (60), the father of Jeon Cheong-jo, who was wanted for fraud and caught by the police, has been detained.

On the 27th, Kim Dae-hyun, the chief judge in charge of warrants at the Cheonan Branch of the Daejeon District Court, issued an arrest warrant for Jeon, who is accused of fraud under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, stating that "his residence is unclear and there is a risk of flight."

Daejeon District Court
Photo by Yonhap News

The police had been investigating Jeon after publicly listing him as wanted on charges of a fraud scheme involving approximately 1.6 billion KRW. Jeon is accused of deceiving victims by promising to purchase real estate in the Cheonan area in February 2018 and extorting about 1.3 billion KRW.

After borrowing 300 million KRW from acquaintances and then disappearing, Jeon continued his escape while embezzling a total of approximately 1.61 billion KRW from victims, until he was apprehended in Jeonnam on the 25th.

On that day, Jeon was caught after breaking into a manpower brokerage office in Beolgyo-eup, Boseong-gun, stealing a mobile phone and attempting to flee. Although he concealed his identity during police interrogation, he was caught after fingerprint comparison.

Separately, his daughter Jeon Cheong-jo (27), who caused controversy for committing investment fraud involving tens of billions of KRW, is currently on trial while in detention.