Yangcheon-gu, Seoul's First 'Broker Assistant Name Tag System' Implemented

A resident is receiving advice from a certified real estate agent at the Residential Safety Manager consultation desk in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. (Photo by Yangcheon-gu Office)

Yangcheon-gu, Seoul (Mayor Lee Gijae) announced on the 5th that it will be the first autonomous district in Seoul to implement the ‘Real Estate Assistant Name Tag Wearing System.’ This measure follows the amendment of the Enforcement Decree of the Licensed Real Estate Agent Act, which newly requires real estate assistants to disclose their identity. It aims to guarantee the right of clients to know and to eradicate illegal brokerage activities by real estate assistants.

Real estate assistants, who are employed by licensed real estate agents and assist with on-site guidance and other support tasks, usually work under titles such as manager. Because of this, clients often find it difficult to distinguish them from licensed real estate agents during transactions. If a brokerage accident occurs, real estate assistants bear less responsibility than licensed agents, raising concerns that this could be exploited in cases such as lease fraud.

Accordingly, Yangcheon-gu plans to produce ‘exclusive name tags for real estate assistants’ within this month and distribute them to about 700 real estate assistants in the district. The name tags will include the assistant’s name, photo, and office name, allowing clients to easily verify their identity at a glance.

The district office intends to continuously encourage real estate assistants to wear name tags regularly through periodic inspections of real estate brokerage offices in the first and second halves of the year.

Mayor Lee Gijae stated, “This is to create a transparent real estate brokerage environment and to prevent real estate assistants from suffering disadvantages due to failure to disclose their identity by producing and distributing name tags.” He added, “We will continue to do our best to establish order in real estate transactions and foster a trusted brokerage culture.”

Meanwhile, according to the partially amended Enforcement Decree of the Licensed Real Estate Agent Act last October, real estate assistants must always inform clients that they are assistants when meeting them. Violations will result in fines of 5 million KRW each for both the real estate assistant and the licensed real estate agent.

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