After 1.5 Years of Emotional Struggles and Life Plan Disruptions
"Don't Blame Yourself," Supportive Comments from Netizens Continue
A newlywed couple who fell victim to a jeonse fraud posted a 'jeonse fraud review' on an online community. Netizens left supportive comments after reading their story. On the 24th, a post titled "The End of Jeonse Fraud is in Sight" was uploaded on the online community FM Korea.
The author, Mr. A, began, "Despite opposition from those around us, we boldly jumped into marriage, determined to live well. With a meticulous personality, I reviewed everything from A to Z and prepared our newlywed home, but we fell into a large-scale fraudulent listing where even the real estate agent was in cahoots." Mr. A added, "The scheme was so well-planned that no matter who came, they would inevitably fall victim, but as the head of the family, I started to navigate through it. After a year and a half of all kinds of emotional struggles, I went today to submit the demand for performance documents."
A newlywed couple who fell victim to a jeonse fraud posted a "jeonse fraud review" on an online community. After reading their story, netizens left supportive messages in the comments to encourage them. [Photo by Dongmin Seo, Asia Economy]
Mr. A was enrolled in the Housing and Urban Guarantee Corporation (HUG) jeonse deposit insurance. If insured under this policy, in cases where the deposit is not returned by the landlord after the lease contract expires, a claim can be made through the guarantee insurance to recover the deposit. Mr. A described the atmosphere, saying, "Most of the people filling the waiting room were young office workers and newlywed couples. There were over 20 people, but the silence without a single word felt rather strange. Having just taken their first independent steps in life after years of study, I could only imagine how helpless everyone felt after falling victim to fraud."
Furthermore, Mr. A said it was especially hard to see the victims feeling intimidated. He said, "The crime was committed by the fraudsters, but the tenants were the ones who looked completely intimidated. Occasionally, when the officer said the documents were incorrect, the victims would plead helplessly, which felt like the roles were reversed." He continued, "I also rushed to get there early, but the wait was already over an hour. I anxiously reviewed the documents repeatedly, worried about any mistakes. Due to the recent surge in fraud cases, the workload has increased, and it was said the process would take over three months, but fortunately, there seemed to be no major issues with the documents."
After submitting the documents, Mr. A said, "I left the building feeling much lighter, and things I hadn’t noticed when I came in started to stand out. Amid the grand buildings in the heart of Bundang, a modest newlywed couple somehow felt out of place, so I took a deep breath, held my wife's hand, and headed to the department store." He added, "We bought a well-known, nice perfume, had an expensive meal, and when we returned home, I felt somewhat relieved. Life is full of ups and downs, but I hope today was the first step up the hill."
In response, netizens commented, "Consider it a misfortune averted and hope only good things come from now on," "Stay strong and win the lottery first prize this week," and "It’s not your fault, so don’t blame yourself."
On the morning of the 23rd, Lee Won-ho, Executive Director of the Poverty Solidarity, is speaking at a press briefing on the 'Prior Compensation, Subsequent Recovery' measure of the Special Act on Jeonse Fraud Amendment held at the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Earlier on the 24th, at the Seoul Regional Headquarters of the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, a forum titled "Achievements and Challenges in Supporting Jeonse Fraud Victims" was held, hosted by the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements. Although the theme was 'Achievements and Challenges in Victim Support,' the discussion focused on the 'priority compensation and subsequent recovery' plan in the amendment of the special law.
'Priority compensation and subsequent recovery' is a method where public institutions such as the Housing and Urban Guarantee Corporation (HUG) first purchase the jeonse deposit return claims to refund part of the deposit to victims, then recover funds by claiming subrogation rights from landlords or selling the fraud-affected properties. Jeonse fraud victims have continuously demanded this plan, but the government has drawn a line against it.
The government argued that it is unprecedented to compensate losses arising from private contracts and that fairness issues with other fraud victims, such as those of voice phishing, must also be considered. Meanwhile, with the opposition party’s landslide victory in the April 10 general election, the passage of the special law amendment is gaining momentum.
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