South Korea police to arrest alleged swindler who was engaged to Olympian

Jeon's lawyers told reporters on Friday Jeon was cooperating with the police investigation. In media interviews, Nam said Jeon claimed he was the New York-born heir to a South Korean hotel and casino conglomerate.

A South Korean court on Friday issued an arrest warrant for the former fiance of an Olympic medallist over charges of swindling more than a dozen people out of 1.9 billion won ($1.4 million), news agency Yonhap reported, in a case that has gripped the nation. Police had asked for the warrant to arrest Jeon Cheong-jo, who 2008 Beijing Olympics fencing champion Nam Hyun-hee last month told local media she had become engaged to.

Nam has since broken off her relationship with Jeon, media reports say. Jeon also told local broadcaster Channel A that he was still legally a woman who was transitioning to become a man. Nam did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Jeon's lawyers told reporters on Friday Jeon was cooperating with the police investigation.

In media interviews, Nam said Jeon claimed he was the New York-born heir to a South Korean hotel and casino conglomerate. Screenshots of text messages which local media said were sent by Jeon show him using a few English words, including "I am" to start off sentences, in an apparent attempt to support his story. This has sparked several social media memes. Performer RM of K-pop group BTS posted a photo of himself on Instagram with a caption in Korean that started off with the English words "I am", while some retailers have also used the meme in product advertisements. ($1 = 1,320.7400 won)

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