'I Might Also Fall Victim to Jeonse Fraud'...The Place Young People Visit in Fear

"Is It True You Still Can't Read Real Estate Registers?"
Nowon-gu Holds 5-Week Course 'Living as a Young Adult for the First Time'

Go Eun-kyung (33), an office worker living in Nowon-gu, Seoul, hurried to visit the district office after work last Wednesday. Although the government office closes at 7 p.m., Go had a reason to visit Nowon District Office at that hour. Having often felt anxious due to the endless news about jeonse fraud, she concluded that the only way to dispel her anxiety was to study systematically, and she put this plan into action.

Her fianc?, Jung Ji-hwan (33), who accompanied her to the lecture hall, said, “Although I personally researched and received various advice from people around me regarding jeonse contracts, I wanted to study verified information systematically, so I came to the lecture.”

Jeonse fraud incidents, which occur from time to time, continue to make tenants uneasy. This is especially true for young people with limited social experience. As situations arise where essential and routine contracts cannot be trusted, the district office has taken steps to prepare lectures.

The “Living as a Young Adult for the First Time” course, recently organized by Nowon-gu as a five-session program, is part of this effort. Studying separately after work is not easy. However, this course, arranged as a total of 10 hours with two hours each week after work, is gaining considerable popularity.

The district office prepared this course as a practical housing education program to support the real-life independence of local youth. On the 18th, when the “How to Read Real Estate Documents” lecture was held, about 30 people in their 20s and 30s focused intently on the instructor’s words until 9 p.m.

During this session, methods for checking the Building Register and Real Estate Registration Certificate (deunggi-budeungbon), which must be verified during real estate lease contracts, as well as how to fill out the Standard Housing Lease Contract, were introduced.

"Is it for real that people still don't know how to read real estate registration certificates?"... In a world where jeonse fraud is rampant, interpreting registration certificates and reading real estate-related documents have become essential knowledge. (Photo by Nowon-gu Office)

Park Dong-su, representative of the Seoul Tenants Association and a licensed real estate agent who served as the instructor, explained, “To prevent accidents, you must carefully check the Building Register and the Real Estate Registration Certificate. No matter how good or satisfactory the condition of the house is, you should only sign the contract after thoroughly verifying these two documents to ensure there are no issues.”

If the purpose and status on the Building Register do not match, problems may arise later, so it is essential to confirm the purpose through the register. It is also important to understand the meaning of the ownership information in the “Gap” section and the rights other than ownership, such as mortgages in the “Eul” section, on the Real Estate Registration Certificate.

Park emphasized, “If there are entries such as provisional dispositions or provisional registrations on the Real Estate Registration Certificate, it means that disposal is prohibited or ownership may be transferred through litigation. If you sign a contract without knowing this, all rights established after the provisional registration will be invalid, which can lead to serious trouble.” He stressed, “Do not trust landlords or brokers who say they will take responsibility; always verify through documents.”

University student Lee Tae-kyung (23) said, “After hearing about a friend who was a victim of jeonse fraud in a rented room, I decided to study. I hope there will be more educational opportunities like this to prepare for independence and entering society in the future.”

Nowon-gu will hold a lecture on “Housing Finance Knowledge for Youth and Newlyweds” on the 24th, and on the 1st and 6th of next month, practical sessions on replacing light bulbs and switches, as well as replacing faucets and drains in washbasins, will be offered to teach essential home repair skills. On the 11th, a lecture on understanding city and district policies and types of public rental housing was conducted.

Park Dong-su, the representative of the National Tenants Association, who served as the instructor for the lecture "Living as a Young Adult for the First Time" held by Nowon-gu, Seoul, advised, "Do not trust real estate agents 100% and make sure to carefully check the documents." A participant attending the education session is looking over the precautions to take during lease contracts. Photo by Kim Min-jin enter@

Nowon-gu has prepared a 5-week course as a practical housing education program to support the real-life independence of local youth. (Photo by Nowon-gu Office)

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