Seung-Gun Lee, CEO of Viva Republica, has once again announced a bold internal pledge for April Fools' Day. This time, he revealed plans to sell his own home to support employees' housing costs.

According to Viva Republica, the operator of Toss, CEO Lee announced on the company's internal messenger on April 1, 2026, “I will sell the home I currently own in my personal name and use the proceeds to support the rent and loan interest of 100 Toss team members for life.”

Seunggun Lee, CEO of Viva Republica, April Fool's Day Event

"Selling My House to Support 100 Employees' Rent and Loan Interest for Life"

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He explained, “Since before founding the company, I have been concerned about the gap between those who profit from real estate and those who struggle with housing costs. In considering the future of our community, I decided to put this into action.” Eligible recipients are employees who are currently paying rent or repaying housing-related loan interest. Even those who already own a home can apply if they are still making loan interest payments. However, employees with no rent or loan interest burden are excluded from the program.

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Applications will be accepted until 9:00 p.m. on April 1, 2026. Afterward, 100 recipients will be selected through a random draw. Winners will be announced before midnight, and each selected employee will receive full monthly rent or loan interest support upon submitting a copy of their contract. This support continues until the employee purchases their own home. While CEO Lee’s April Fools' Day pledges may seem like jokes, he has gained a reputation for actually following through on these commitments.

In 2022, he promised to provide 20 electric vehicles and went on to offer 10 employees free car rentals for one year. Last year, to celebrate a return to profitability, he sent 100 employees on a group trip to Okinawa, Japan. Both initiatives were reportedly funded with his own personal money.

A company representative stated, “Although we cannot confirm whether this is another April Fools' Day event, past examples show that our CEO has consistently expressed gratitude to team members in tangible ways.”

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Meanwhile, Viva Republica achieved its highest-ever consolidated revenue last year, posting 2.6983 trillion won, a 38% increase from the previous year. Operating profit soared by 270.3% to 336 billion won, and net profit jumped by 846.7% to 201.8 billion won. The company cited platform enhancement and increased use of advertising, payments, and financial services as key drivers of improved performance. In particular, greater efficiency in personalized advertising and the expansion of easy payment services were seen as major contributors to revenue growth.