Luxury Bags Alongside 300 Million Won Foreign Cars... Will the High-Value Gifts Given by Jeon Cheong-jo Be Seized?

Nam Hyun-hee "Unilateral Gift Offensive Despite Not Wanting It"
If Criminal Proceeds Are Attributed to Others, Confiscation Is Not Possible
Complicit or With Implied Intent, Compensation Claims Are Possible

As victims continue to come forward claiming they were defrauded by Jeon Cheong-jo (27), the former spouse of former national fencing representative Nam Hyun-hee (42), suspicions of collusion have been raised against Nam, who received expensive gifts from Jeon.

If the funds used to purchase the foreign car and luxury bags Jeon gave to Nam are proven to be proceeds of crime, there are calls for these assets to be confiscated and compensation provided to the victims.

In a petition submitted to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on the 27th of last month by Kim Min-seok, a member of the Seoul Gangseo District Council, it was stated, "The luxury bags and vehicles Nam received from Jeon appear to be proceeds of crime, and records of Nam communicating with whistleblowers indicate she was aware of the incident," adding, "Nam Hyun-hee is not a victim who suffered financial loss but an accomplice."

Previously, Nam had posted photos on her social media accounts of luxury brand bags, high-end wireless headsets, and foreign cars she received from Jeon as proof.

However, Nam now claims that the gifts she received from Jeon were "unwanted." In an interview with Channel A on the 29th of last month, she said, "Even though I did not want them, all kinds of gifts were given, and despite expressing that I did not want to receive them, there was persistent pushing. So, in the end, I ended up receiving them."

Nam Hyun-hee./Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

However, it appears difficult to confiscate the gifts Jeon gave to Nam. Attorney Kim Kwang-sam explained on YTN's 'News Live,' "According to the Act on the Regulation and Punishment of Criminal Proceeds Concealment, proceeds derived from criminal acts can be confiscated. But if these criminal proceeds are attributed to a third party or another person, they cannot be confiscated."

Currently, some victims have submitted petitions requesting investigations, suggesting Nam may also be an accomplice. Even if the two are found to be accomplices, confiscation is not easy, according to Attorney Kim. He elaborated, "Luxury goods or vehicles should ideally be returned to the fraud victims, but if the state confiscates them, they become state property, which means victims cannot recover their losses. For these and other reasons, confiscation will likely be difficult."

Attorney Kim further explained that if it is revealed that the two have an accomplice relationship or that Nam had indirect intent (awareness of the possibility of a crime), victims could file claims for damages against Nam.

Meanwhile, Nam strongly denied the collusion allegations. On the 2nd, Nam's legal representative sent a text message to reporters stating, "She is not an accomplice. She was exploited more thoroughly than anyone else, and just before becoming the final target, Jeon's fraudulent activities were exposed," rebutting the claims.

He added, "Rather than responding loudly to Jeon and others, she will quietly cooperate fully with the investigation and submit all evidence to the authorities." Regarding the Bentley vehicle Jeon allegedly gifted Nam, he said, "The Bentley was a surprise proposal gift given by Jeon without Director Nam's knowledge," and that they have requested the police to seize the vehicle.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.