Signed Lease in 2018 and Opened Fitness Center
Management and Operation Rights Transferred to District Office Due to Donation Agreement
Lost Lawsuit After Contesting Eviction Notice
Yang Chisung, a health trainer who has frequently appeared on television, is reported to have suffered damages of approximately 1 billion won due to issues such as the leasing of a donated building and a deposit scam. In response, he has called for public participation in a petition submitted to the National Assembly to amend the “Private Investment in Social Infrastructure” law. On September 1, Yang stated on his social media, “I suffered an unexpected eviction notice and significant financial loss due to loopholes in the operation and administration of public facilities.” He continued, “I realized this issue does not affect only me. Many tenants in donated public facilities are facing threats to their livelihoods as their contracts are invalidated or they receive eviction orders without proper notice.”
Yang further emphasized, “I believe it is time to change this structural problem. I have submitted a petition to the National Assembly to amend the law on private investment in social infrastructure. The law should be revised so that tenants using public facilities receive sufficient information in advance and have their rights protected.” He also encouraged support for the petition, explaining, “For the petition to be officially accepted by the National Assembly, more than 100 people must agree within 30 days from the date of registration, according to the National Assembly Petition Review Rules.”
Previously, in 2018, Yang signed a lease agreement with a development company and opened a gym in a building located in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. However, the building had been constructed under a donation agreement, requiring the management and operation rights to be transferred to the Gangnam District Office after 20 years of free use. Yang claims he was unaware of this condition at the time of signing the contract. Having moved in through a personal connection, Yang was not informed of these details, and when the Gangnam District Office assumed management and operation rights, it issued eviction notices to the leasing companies.
Yang contested the eviction notice in court but ultimately lost the case. Later, through YouTube, he revealed, “The court understood my unfair situation, but said there was no other choice but to order eviction.” He also explained that the responsible public official, who had failed to fulfill the duty to notify him about the timing of eviction and had told him “it’s okay to sign the contract,” has since resigned. During this process, Yang suffered losses by having to pay double rent and was unable to recover his deposit and rent, resulting in a total loss of about 500 million won. Including facility costs, the total damages are reported to reach 1 billion won.
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