"Early Education to Prevent Jeonse Fraud"... Districts Strengthen Programs for High School and University Students

Dongdaemun District Combines "Lecture Plus Field Investigation"
Dongjak District's "Real Estate Class" Receives Positive Response
Gwangjin District Launches Project for University Students and Young Adults

Seoul's autonomous districts are successively strengthening education programs for high school and university students to prevent jeonse fraud. The aim is to provide third-year high school students and university students, who are about to enter society, with knowledge about jeonse and monthly rental contracts in advance to prevent potential damage.

Seoul's autonomous districts are strengthening early education to prevent jeonse fraud. The Asia Business Daily DB.

Dongdaemun District is operating the nation's first hands-on education program for youth to prevent jeonse fraud. This program combines classroom lectures on the essentials of jeonse and monthly rental contracts with on-site visits to properties actually listed for rent, offering a "lecture plus field investigation" format.

The education is conducted by visiting third-year high school classrooms. It began at Seoul Jeonghwa High School and is currently ongoing. The program explains warning signs and key points to check in actual contracts, tailored to the students' level of understanding. The district has produced a dedicated textbook with numerous illustrations and invited a full-time professor from the Korea Association of Realtors to enhance the program's expertise.

After the theoretical lecture, students who wish to participate can join the field investigation experience. This is conducted in small groups of three, and a manager recommended by the Korea Association of Realtors accompanies the group to guide them through the checklist to review before signing a contract at an actual property.

Dongjak District was the first in Seoul to hold a "Real Estate Class for High School Students," which received a great response. The first session, held in February last year, was attended by a total of 96 participants, including local high school students and their parents. According to a satisfaction survey, 94% gave a positive evaluation.

Encouraged by this strong support, the district significantly expanded the number of participants to 320 for the second special lecture held last month. The lecture was delivered by lawyer and real estate expert Shin Jungkwon, who covered topics such as how to read a certified copy of the real estate register, essential checklists for single young adults signing lease contracts, types of jeonse and monthly rental fraud and prevention methods, and how to respond in case of damage.

Gwangjin District will also fully implement the "Project to Share Real Contract Tips with First-Time Home Seekers" this year. This project, designed to help university students and young adults with little experience in real estate contracts avoid housing-related damages such as jeonse fraud, received a strong response last year. The main components include preventive education in partnership with universities, night classes for young people and single-person households, and enhanced online and offline promotion of real estate contract information.

Education programs for universities are concentrated during June to July and December to February, when the number of university students moving into the district increases. Last year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Jeonse Fraud Victim Support Team, Gwangjin District Office, and Konkuk University jointly held an event.

The district is also supporting young people by producing and distributing various content, such as the "Real Estate Transactions from A to Z" webtoon series and the "Safe Contract Guidebook," to help them better understand real estate contracts.

Lee Pilhyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun District, said, "I hope this education helps young people make rational decisions when signing real estate contracts as they enter society."

Park Ilha, Mayor of Dongjak District, stated, "Through specialized education on jeonse and monthly rental contracts, we will prevent jeonse fraud in advance," adding, "We will continue to implement differentiated policies to make Dongjak a safe district free from concerns about jeonse fraud."

Kim Kyungho, Mayor of Gwangjin District, said, "Lack of information about real estate contracts is a major cause of housing insecurity among young people," and added, "I hope that projects like this will help young people find homes with peace of mind."