How to read the South Korean property registry (deungibu deungbon): cover sheet · Section A (ownership) · Section B (mortgages & liens). Includes a Korean LTV safety calculator for jeonse / wolse renters.
| Section | Contents | Checkpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Cover sheet (표제부) | Address, area, use, floors, structure | Verify the contract address & area match |
| Section A — Ownership (갑구) | Korean owner, sale/inheritance history, liens, attachments, auction, trust | Landlord must equal the current Korean owner; trust or liens are red flags |
| Section B — Other rights (을구) | Mortgages, jeonse rights, surface rights, tenant lien orders | Sum mortgage maximum + senior tenants' deposits and check the safe LTV |
| Mortgage maximum claim | Section B 'maximum claim'. Korean banks set 110–130% of actual loan. Eg. 130M KRW maximum ≈ 100M KRW actual loan |
| Mortgage cancellation | Mark a closing-day registry as 'cancelled (말소)' or include cancelled items. Senior, un-cancelled mortgages are dangerous |
| Lien presence | If Section A shows '가압류 (lien)', confirm claim amount, creditor, and registration date |
| Jeonse / tenant lien rights | Other Korean tenants' deposits in Section A or B may rank ahead of you |
| Caution — changes after issuance | Re-issue the registry just before sending the closing payment to confirm no new mortgage was added |
Korean rights records change daily — re-issue the registry on the Korean closing date and re-confirm.
This page summarises public information from the Korea Supreme Court Internet Registry, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and HUG (as of April 2026) for reference only. Korean property-rights interpretation and safe-LTV judgment depend on each case, and the simulator output has no legal effect. Before any actual lease or purchase decision, consult a Korean licensed real-estate agent, judicial scrivener (법무사), or attorney, and re-issue the Korean property registry on the closing day. This page applies to real estate located in the Republic of Korea only.
The South Korean property registry (등기부등본) is the official rights record managed by the Korea Supreme Court Court Registry. Each Korean property registry has three sections: the cover sheet (표제부) describing the property; Section A (갑구) recording ownership history, liens (가압류), attachments (압류), provisional dispositions (가처분), trust registrations (신탁), and auction commencement; and Section B (을구) listing mortgages (근저당권), jeonse rights (전세권), surface rights (지상권), and tenant lien orders. Korean tenants and buyers must verify (1) the landlord matches the current Section A owner, (2) Section A has no liens, trust, or auction entries, and (3) Section B mortgage maximum + other Korean tenants' deposits stay within 80% of market value. The registry can be issued by anyone via the Korea Internet Registry (iros.go.kr, 700–1,000 KRW) or Korea Government24. Re-issuing the registry on the Korean closing day is the most basic step in preventing Korean jeonse fraud.
Korean banks set the maximum claim at 110–130% of the principal to cover unpaid interest. Eg. a 130M KRW maximum claim implies a roughly 100M KRW Korean loan. For safe-LTV calculations, treat the full maximum claim conservatively as senior debt.
Verify the Korean trust deed to confirm the settlor (landlord) has leasing rights. Without trustee consent, the Korean lease can be void — consult a Korean attorney or judicial scrivener.
Under the Korean Housing Lease Protection Act, residency report + occupancy + fixed date give opposable rights and priority recovery from the next day, but only against rights created after them. Senior mortgages and liens still rank ahead, so registry verification before signing is critical.
If the Korean landlord borrows additional funds right after signing, the new mortgage could rank ahead of your deposit. Always pull a fresh 1,000 KRW issuance via the Korea IROS just before sending the closing payment.
Liens may be released after the underlying lawsuit, but the existence of a Korean landlord debt dispute itself raises deposit-recovery risk. Without objective proof of imminent release, a hold on the contract is recommended.
Korean officetels and dasede have one registry per unit, so the same procedure works. Korean multi-household (dagagu) homes have one building-wide registry, so demand the Korean tenant roster and treat all other tenants' deposits as senior claims.
South Korea's property registry (등기부등본), issued by the Korea Supreme Court Internet Registry (iros.go.kr), has three sections: the cover sheet (property location, area, use), Section A — Ownership (current Korean owner, history, liens, attachments, provisional dispositions, trust, auction commencement), and Section B — Other Rights ((root) mortgages, jeonse rights, surface rights, tenant lien orders). Korean renters and buyers should verify (1) landlord matches the Section A current Korean owner, (2) Section A has no liens, trust registrations, or auction entries, and (3) Section B mortgage maximum + senior Korean tenants' deposits stay within 80% of the market value. Re-issuing the registry via Korea IROS (700 KRW view, 1,000 KRW issue) or Korea Government24 on the Korean closing day is essential. Korean trust-registered property requires a separate trust-deed check; Korean dagagu (multi-household) homes need a tenant roster. Combine with HUG Ansim Jeonse Portal and Korea MOLIT real-estate disclosure (rt.molit.go.kr) for accurate Korean market-value verification.