Victim of 'Health Club Mukti' Suspicion: "They Said They Would Renovate... So Angry I Can't Focus on Work"

Victim A, Who Made Two Payments Totaling 6.74 Million Won
"Elderly People May Not Even Know They Are Victims"

A large franchise gym that operated 28 branches in the Seoul metropolitan area suddenly announced its closure, raising suspicions of a so-called 'eat-and-run' scam. Mr. A, who used one of the gym branches, said on the 14th, "I'm so angry that I really can't sleep and it's hard," adding, "I can't focus on work day by day and can't live a proper life."

Mr. A, who used the gym branch located in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, revealed in an interview with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' that when he first registered at the gym last November, he paid 1.74 million won for a one-year membership and 30 personal training (PT) sessions, and at the end of March, he paid an additional 5 million won.

Mr. A said, "Originally, it was a 6 million won VIP membership, but when I hesitated, they offered good conditions such as a 5 million won discount, transferability, a one-year gym membership, and 15 free Pilates sessions, so I signed the contract."

[Image source=Pixabay]

Mr. A said he did not suspect the closure because he had been receiving PT sessions until recently. He received contact from the gym as recently as the 8th, just a week ago. Mr. A said, "I last had a PT session on the 22nd of last month, and on the 24th, I was informed that they would go on strike," adding, "They said their wages had been delayed since January, but they continued to conduct classes."

Feeling something was wrong, Mr. A submitted a refund application on the 26th of last month, but the gym claimed it was closed due to construction. Mr. A said, "I received a text saying construction would be from the 8th to the 24th, but when I went to check just in case, the construction hadn't even started."

Currently, Mr. A and other victims of the branch are collectively filing a criminal complaint. Mr. A said, "We plan to gather the victims soon to file a civil lawsuit, and it seems everyone is acting by branch," adding, "There are probably many older people who still don't even know they were victimized."

He continued, "The company's director is completely unreachable," and "The manager and the trainers sometimes respond to texts but said they 'can't do anything' and that they are also 'victims' themselves."

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