"Claimed No Intent to Defraud, Cleared of Charges"
Also Sued for Unauthorized Occupation by Gangnam District Office
"Worked Hard but Got Scammed Again," Laments Victim
Famous fitness trainer Yang Chi-seung (50), who filed a fraud lawsuit against his landlord, announced that he received a dismissal of charges from the police.
On the 4th, Yang Chi-seung posted a video titled "This is the current situation" on his YouTube channel 'Yang Chi-seung's MakTube.' In the video, he said, "I am filming this YouTube video to explain the gym situation," and added, "I filed a criminal complaint against the landlord, and the result has come out." He continued, "I am so frustrated and exhausted. The charges were dismissed," expressing, "It’s very frustrating."
Yang Chi-seung revealed, "The other party did not return a single won of the deposit to all tenants, yet the fraud charge was not established," and said, "I asked my lawyer what kind of fraud must occur for fraud charges to be established. I couldn’t understand because not a single won of the deposit was returned, but fraud charges were not recognized." He further explained, "The Gangnam Police Station handling the case said the other party had no intention to commit fraud from the beginning and tried to renew the contract. But that doesn’t make sense," adding, "They wouldn’t have told me to just make a lot of money for 10 or 20 years and then leave. When I moved in, the actual building usage period left was only 3 years and 10 months. Usually, people enter with the intention of staying about 10 years."
He also expressed anger, saying, "Otherwise, they should have sold it by receiving a key money in the middle. That way, they wouldn’t suffer a big loss and could connect the next person to continue business," and added, "It’s ridiculous to say there was no intention to commit fraud from the start." Finally, he said, "I feel a bit drained after the police dismissed the charges. But I still have to do what I must," and added, "I plan to fight even harder going forward."
Earlier, in January, it was revealed that Yang Chi-seung and other merchants filed a complaint with the police against Gangnam District Office for obstruction of business. They also filed a complaint against real estate development company A, which had signed the lease contract, for violation of the Specific Economic Crimes Act (fraud) regarding the deposit. The building located in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where Yang Chi-seung and the merchants moved in, was built in 2002 as a private investment project by Gangnam District Office and company A. At that time, company A agreed to transfer the building’s management and operation rights to Gangnam District Office when the 20-year free usage period ended. However, this fact was not disclosed at the time of the lease contract, and Yang Chi-seung opened a gym in the building, investing hundreds of millions of won in remodeling.
Subsequently, Gangnam District Office filed a real estate delivery lawsuit against the merchants in July and September of last year. Yang Chi-seung and some merchants, who are still operating their businesses, were even sued for unauthorized occupancy. In response, Yang Chi-seung said, "I invested 400 million won in this gym through a mortgage loan. I don’t know when I will have to close, but I must refund all the members," and shared his feelings, "I was seriously defrauded 10 years ago, and now that I’m over 50, being defrauded again just leaves me stunned. I thought I had lived diligently, but I feel like I’ve been stabbed in the back like this."
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