Kim Tae-woo, Gangseo District Mayor, Meets Minister Won Hee-ryong to Propose Measures Against Jeonse Fraud 피해 대책 건의

Request for Sharing Detailed Data Such as Damage Status in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, List of Malicious Landlords, and Addresses of Damaged Properties

Emphasis on the Urgency of Establishing an ‘Integrated Jeonse Damage Management System’ for Systematic Support of Jeonse Fraud Victims

Proposal for Immediate Legal Consultation Support for Victims Including ‘Visiting Jeonse Damage Support Counseling Bus’

On the 25th, Kim Tae-woo, Mayor of Gangseo-gu, Seoul, met with Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and officials from the Housing and Urban Guarantee Corporation (HUG) at the Gangseo-gu Jeonse Damage Support Center to deliver requests for measures to support victims of jeonse fraud.

Mayor Kim stated, “Currently, under the Personal Information Protection Act, local governments still face limitations in verifying information or accurate damage details regarding jeonse fraud victims,” and emphasized, “Drastic measures are needed to prevent additional damage to victims and to facilitate information sharing between institutions.”

He continued, “Currently, only partial data is shared, which makes it difficult to support victims,” and added, “There is an urgent need to share detailed data such as the damage status within the region, list of malicious landlords, list of victims, and addresses of damaged properties.”

He further stressed, “To provide prompt and systematic support to jeonse fraud victims, it is urgent to establish a one-stop ‘Integrated Jeonse Damage Management System’ that can verify accurate information about real estate agencies involved in jeonse fraud and the progress of auctions related to jeonse damage all at once.”

He also emphasized the need to further expand support measures for victims of jeonse fraud.

Kim Tae-woo, Mayor of Gangseo-gu, Seoul (right), is discussing support measures for victims of jeonse fraud with Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, at the Gangseo-gu Jeonse Damage Support Center at 9:30 a.m. on the 25th.

Mayor Kim said, “We need to strengthen support for victims by operating a jeonse fraud victim support counseling bus in the Hwagok-dong area and providing professional lawyer support so that local governments can promptly offer legal consultations.”

This is the third time Mayor Kim has met Minister Won Hee-ryong in an official setting. In January, they visited a real estate agency office in Hwagok-dong together to discuss comprehensive measures against jeonse fraud.

The ‘Deposit First, Registration Later’ system, which Mayor Kim proposed to Minister Won for tenants residing in the affected houses, is currently being implemented. Regarding additional registration of rental housing canceled due to lack of guarantee subscription, the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee is currently reviewing the matter.

Mayor Kim said, “It is a reality that it is quite difficult to support jeonse fraud victims because the Personal Information Protection Act prevents accurate verification of the situation, but we will not stop here and will do our best at the district level to establish separate verification procedures and prepare relief measures for victims.”

Last August, the district launched the nation’s first ‘Empty Jeonse Damage Prevention TF Team’ to proactively prevent damage. Additionally, the district is implementing various support measures for jeonse fraud victims, including securing four temporary housing facilities and reviewing legal and psychological counseling support.

Mapo-gu Launches Jeonse and Monthly Rent Contract Counseling Center

‘Housing Lease Safe Contract Counseling Center’ Operated at District Office from May… Full-time Residential Safety Managers Assigned

Identifying Risk Factors Such as Empty Jeonse and Deposit Embezzlement, Accompanying House Viewings, and Supporting Housing Search

In response to the recent surge in jeonse fraud cases, Mapo-gu will operate a Housing Lease Safe Contract Counseling Center starting in May to prevent such fraud.

The housing occupancy type in Mapo-gu has a relatively higher ratio of jeonse and monthly rent compared to owner-occupied housing. While the average jeonse and monthly rent rate in Seoul is 54%, Mapo-gu’s rate reaches 58% (based on December 2020 KOSIS National Statistics Portal data).

Accordingly, the district has introduced swift measures such as operating the counseling center daily and assigning full-time residential safety managers.

An official from the district explained, “Direct support is practically difficult once fraud damage occurs, so preventing damage in advance is the best strategy. Given the relatively high jeonse and monthly rent ratio in the area, we established the Housing Lease Safe Contract Center to prevent potential damage.”

The Housing Lease Safe Contract Center provides support including ▲housing lease contract counseling ▲residential safety accompaniment service ▲housing search assistance ▲housing policy guidance.

By analyzing the public registry of the property to be contracted, the center identifies risk factors such as empty jeonse, deposit embezzlement, and illegal building rentals to help prevent damage. It carefully checks information that might be overlooked when viewing a house alone and offers accompaniment services for women or others who feel uneasy viewing properties alone.

The district selected five real estate agents recommended by the Korea Association of Realtors (Mapo-gu branch) to serve as ‘Residential Safety Managers.’ Among them, two female managers were assigned to provide accompaniment services specifically for female households.

Anyone residing or planning to reside in Mapo-gu can receive free counseling. Applications can be made online via the Seoul Single Household Portal (SingleBunggeul Seoul) or by phone reservation at the Mapo-gu Real Estate Information Division.

The service hours are weekdays from 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM, and the counseling center is located on the 2nd floor of Mapo-gu Office in the Real Estate Information Division. For consultations outside these hours, support is provided after scheduling with a Residential Safety Manager.

Park Kang-soo, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “Considering the high number of young people such as first-time workers and newlyweds with little real estate contract experience, and the area’s higher-than-average jeonse and monthly rent ratio, we have prepared policies to protect tenants. We will continue to do our best to protect residents’ valuable assets and support housing welfare.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.