Next Month, 21st: Appellate Trial Verdict
The prosecution has requested a 20-year prison sentence in the appellate trial for Jeon Cheong-jo (28), who is accused of committing a substantial investment fraud by posing as an extramarital child of a chaebol third-generation.
On the 31st, the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 13 held a hearing for Jeon, who was indicted on charges of fraud under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, forgery of official documents, use of forged official documents, forgery of private documents, abuse of forged private documents, and violation of the Child Welfare Act (child abuse).
The prosecution had already sought a 15-year sentence last July but increased it to 20 years after merging the case with child abuse charges. Jeon’s lawyer pleaded in the final argument, “The crime tends to be exaggerated beyond reality,” and requested leniency, noting that “Jeon Cheong-jo acknowledges the crime and is sincerely reflecting.”
In his final statement, Jeon expressed deep remorse, admitting, “I genuinely realize that committing a crime inevitably leads to punishment and consequences,” and vowed to seek forgiveness from the victims.
Earlier, Jeon was charged with defrauding approximately 3 billion won from 27 individuals he met through lectures between April 2022 and last October, and received a 12-year sentence in the first trial in February. He was also additionally charged for assaulting and threatening a middle school nephew of former national fencing representative Nam Hyun-hee, resulting in an additional 4-year sentence in a separate trial last September. The appellate court decided to merge the fraud case with the child welfare violation case for a comprehensive review, upon Jeon’s request.
Jeon’s appellate decision is scheduled for the 21st of next month.