Bought a House in a Hurry Due to Jeonse Deposit Shortage, Ended Up in Trouble
Nearly 20,000 Government-Recognized Cases as of June
Comedian Lee Su-ji revealed last year that she suffered a loss of 400 million won due to a housing sale fraud.
Lee Su-ji recently confessed on the YouTube channel 'Chabchab', "I originally lived in a jeonse near Jeongbalsan, but the landlord suddenly asked for a 500 million won increase. I thought it was 50 million won, but it was really 500 million won. When I said I didn't have 500 million won, they asked for at least 300 million won. When I said I didn't have 300 million won either, they told me to leave, so I was eventually evicted." She continued, "With the mindset of 'Let's live happily as a family,' I took out loans on top of all my assets and bought a house for 400 million won, but I was scammed." She added, "(The developer) built and sold 13 houses, but the person I gave money to was a representative of the developer without authority. They said there was no way to get the money back. So, I am starting over with monthly rent." She recalled, "Last year was really busy. People around me said, 'You must be really happy,' but inside, I was furious."
She said, "The court ordered the scammer to return the money including legal interest, but the scammer said they had no money. Then there was no way to get it back." She added, "The scammer is still living their daily life. I saw a KakaoTalk message saying 'Things will go well,' so I hope they really do well and pay back the money." She described herself as "a really bright person" and said, "I don't know what depression is, but last year I was so depressed that I wondered if I should go to a psychiatrist. I even thought, 'Was every choice I made crap?'"
Another celebrity has also confessed to being a victim of housing-related fraud. Broadcaster Dex revealed in September last year, "In my case, I took a jeonse for 270 million won with a 90% loan," and publicly shared his actual contract on the broadcast to negotiate the jeonse fraud. A lawyer who reviewed the contract said, "The sale price is lower than the jeonse price. The sale price is around 120 million to 150 million won," explaining, "This is a case of a 'kkangtong jeonse'." 'Kkangtong jeonse' refers to a situation where the deposit is higher than the building's market value.
Since the 'Special Act on Support for Jeonse Fraud Victims and Housing Stability' was enacted in July last year, the government has recognized nearly 20,000 cases of damage within one year. As of the end of June, there were 5,109 cases in Seoul, 4,153 in Gyeonggi, 2,650 in Incheon, 2,143 in Busan, 418 in Daegu, totaling 19,621 cases.
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