{
  "id": 6649984,
  "title": "Foreign victims shut out of Korea's 'jeonse' fraud relief efforts",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/foreign-victims-shut-out-of-koreas-jeonse-fraud-relief-efforts",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-10T22:02:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/economy/20260911/foreign-victims-shut-out-of-koreas-jeonse-fraud-relief-efforts"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "According to prosecutors, foreign victims have been left out of Korea's recent efforts to provide relief to those who have fallen victim to jeonse fraud.\n\nIn 2022, Nan Ming-ji, a 40-year-old Chinese citizen, moved with his parents into a home in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. They put down a 140 million won deposit — money his parents had saved for decades. While this large upfront payment is typical under Korea's jeonse system, where tenants pay a lump sum for the right to occupy a property, it has also been exploited by unscrupulous landlords.\n\nIn October 2023, Nan's father discovered a notice stating that their home was on the auction block. Just weeks later, the family learned that their landlord owned multiple other buildings, all of which had been flagged for auction. The Nan family had become victims of jeonse fraud on a massive scale.\n\nJeonse fraud has surged across Korea in recent years. Fraudulent landlords have exploited the system by taking deposits from multiple tenants and using those funds to acquire properties, often without putting any of their own money down.",
  "summary": "At the start of 2022, Nan Ming-ji, a 40-year-old with Chinese citizenship, moved with his parents into a home in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. The family put down a 140 million won ($104,000) deposit — money his parents had saved since arriving in Korea two decades ago. It was no small sum. But under the country’s distinct “jeonse” system, such large upfront deposits have long been the norm. Instead…",
  "key_points": [
    "Foreign victims excluded from Korea's jeonse fraud relief",
    "140 million won deposit typical in Korea's jeonse system",
    "Nan Ming-ji's family victim of massive jeonse fraud"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "[EXPLAINER] Jeonse: How Korea's homeownership shortcut turned into breeding ground for fraud",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/explainer-jeonse-how-koreas-homeownership-shortcut-turned-into",
        "published": "2026-09-10T22:02:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "S. Korea sends 2nd disaster relief team to Nepal for flood recovery efforts",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/s-korea-sends-2nd-disaster-relief-team-to-nepal-for-flood-recovery",
        "published": "2026-09-11T00:22:54.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "KBS World Radio",
        "title": "S. Korea Sends 2nd Disaster Relief Team to Assist Nepal's Reconstruction, Recovery",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/s-korea-sends-2nd-disaster-relief-team-to-assist-nepals",
        "published": "2026-09-11T00:38:15.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}