A 21-item Korean jeonse fraud prevention checklist based on Korea's MOLIT, HUG, and Supreme Court data. Check items to see a live Korean safety score.
| Pattern | Method | Defence Point |
|---|---|---|
| Under-water jeonse (깡통전세) | New villa with sale ≈ jeonse price; Korean owner disappears | Only choose LTV ≤ 80% Korean units eligible for HUG insurance |
| Title transfer scam | Korean ownership transferred to a straw owner right after closing | Re-issue Korean registry on closing day + same-day residency & fixed date |
| Double contract | Same Korean unit leased to multiple tenants simultaneously | Verify resident disclosure, fixed-date status, and Korean agent attendance |
| Trust scam | Korean settlor leases a trust-registered home without trustee consent | Read the Korean trust deed; contracts without trustee consent are void |
| Proxy scam | Forged Korean power of attorney, proxy leases and disappears | Prefer Korean landlord face-to-face; for proxies, verify Korean seal certificate original |
| Unreleased mortgage | Korean mortgage not cancelled after closing → junior on auction | Mortgage-release clause, simultaneous execution or prepayment |
| Ansim Jeonse App 2.0 | Launch Sep 2026 — unified Korean registry / fixed date / tax arrears / senior rights view |
| Korean agent explanation duty | From 2026, Korean agents must pull Ansim Jeonse App data and explain to tenants |
| HUG Korean jeonse insurance caps | 700M capital / 500M non-capital KRW, Korean jeonse-to-value ≤ 90% (tightened 2023.5) |
| Korean jeonse-fraud victim support | On MOLIT committee decision: low-rate loan, priority purchase, Korean auction suspension |
| Korea Deposit Return Special Act | In force 2023.6, extended 2025 — Korean emergency housing & public auction purchase |
Korean policies and limits change frequently — always verify conditions on the Korean official sites before signing.
This page summarises public Korean MOLIT, HUG, and Supreme Court information (as of April 2026) for reference only; it has no legal effect. Korean fraud methods, HUG insurance caps, Ansim Jeonse App, and jeonse-fraud victim support change frequently — always consult a Korean licensed agent, attorney, or judicial scrivener and verify Korean HUG Ansim Jeonse Portal conditions before signing. Applies to lease contracts located in the Republic of Korea only.
On 2026-03-10, Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and Ministry of Justice jointly approved prevention-centred jeonse-fraud measures at a Korean cabinet meeting. In September 2026, Korea will launch Ansim Jeonse App 2.0, integrating Korean property registry, fixed date, resident disclosure, tax arrears, and senior-rights data on one screen. Korean licensed agents will be obligated to pull that data and explain it to tenants. However, the most reliable safeguard remains the Korean tenant's own due diligence. This checklist is compiled from Korea MOLIT's jeonse-fraud checklist, Korea HUG Jeonse Fraud Prevention Center, and Korea Supreme Court IROS — 10 before signing, 5 on signing day, and 6 after closing, totalling 21 Korean checkpoints.
(Mortgage maximum + senior deposits + your deposit) ÷ Korean market value × 100. ≤ 80% is relatively safe; > 90% almost never qualifies for Korean HUG insurance. For Korean dagagu homes, sum all tenants' deposits in the same building.
Legally no, but it is the single most effective Korean safeguard. Since 2023-05 only Korean units with jeonse-to-value ≤ 90% qualify; premium is 0.115–0.154% p.a. (up to 50% Korean low-income youth discount).
Once pre-contract, once on closing day, and ideally once more right before sending the Korean closing payment. If the Korean landlord takes a new loan mid-transaction, the new mortgage can outrank your Korean deposit.
Call Korea HUG 1566-9009 or Korean Jeonse Fraud Victim Support 1533-8119 immediately. File a Korean tenant lien order at the community center to keep opposability, submit a Korean criminal complaint, and apply for Korean victim recognition to unlock low-rate loans, public auction purchase, and priority purchase rights.
Korean contracts above 60M KRW deposit or 300k KRW monthly rent must be reported within 30 days of closing. Failure may trigger Korean fines up to 1M KRW; reporting also auto-assigns a Korean fixed date — always report when possible.
Foreigners and overseas Koreans are covered by the Korean Housing Lease Protection Act and can obtain Korean residency reports and fixed dates with the alien registration certificate. Some Korean policy loans and HUG insurance limit by Korean visa status (F-2, F-5, F-6) — consult a Korean handling bank.
The 2026 Korean jeonse-fraud prevention checklist covers 21 items — 10 before signing, 5 on signing day, 6 after closing — based on Korea MOLIT, HUG, and Supreme Court data. Pre-sign Korean checkpoints: (1) compare Korean market value via MOLIT RTMS (rt.molit.go.kr), (2) pull the Korean property registry at IROS (iros.go.kr), (3) confirm (mortgage maximum + senior deposits + your deposit) ÷ Korean market value ≤ 80%, (4) request Korean landlord tax-arrears certificate (mandatory since 2023 Korean standard lease), (5) verify Korean ID vs. registry owner, (6) check Korean agent license and indemnity, (7) review Korean senior tenants / fixed-date status, (8) add Korean mortgage-release special clause, (9) confirm Korea HUG jeonse insurance eligibility (Korean jeonse-to-value ≤ 90%), and (10) query the Korean Ansim Jeonse App 2.0 (launching Sep 2026). On signing day: use the Korean MOLIT standard form, wire to the Korean landlord's account only, and complete Korean residency report + fixed date the same day. After closing: file Korean lease reporting (above 60M KRW deposit or 300k KRW/mo rent), purchase Korean HUG/HF/SGI deposit-return insurance, and re-issue the Korean registry. For Korean victims, call HUG 1566-9009 or Korean Jeonse Fraud Victim Support 1533-8119; pursue a Korean tenant lien order, criminal complaint, and victim recognition to access low-rate loan and public auction purchase support.