Korea finds 1,669 fraudulent apartment subscriptions; 83% used fake addresses
In short
Government data submitted to the National Assembly show 1,669 cases of fraudulent private apartment subscription applications were detected and referred for investigation between 2021 and June 2025, out of 350 complexes and 212,892 households inspected. Disguised address moves to inflate dependents accounted for 1,380 cases, or 82.7%. Only 273 of the 655 cases sent to prosecutors, 41.1%, have ended with a winning or contract cancellation.
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Authorities detected 1,669 cases of fraudulent applications for private apartment subscriptions and referred them for investigation between 2021 and June of last year, according to government data submitted to Rep. Yoo Sang-bum of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee. The inspections covered 350 private housing complexes and 212,892 households nationwide, the documents say. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The most common method was a disguised address move, in which an applicant falsely shifts their registered residence to raise the number of dependents. That accounted for 1,380 cases, or 82.7% of the total. Under the private housing points system, dependents are worth 5 points each, rising from 5 points for none to 35 points for six or more, so adding four dependents would add 20 points, Maeil Business reported. Other cases involved buying and selling subscription accounts or eligibility (240 cases), fake marriage or divorce (47) and forged or altered qualifications (2). [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Detections of disguised address moves rose from 157 in 2021 to 491 in 2024, with 245 recorded in the first half of last year, the data show. Enforcement after detection has been slower: of 655 cases sent to prosecutors, 273, or 41.1%, ended with a completed cancellation of a win or contract, while 294 were in litigation or trial and 55 were judged difficult to cancel, including cases where the winning right had already been resold to a third party, according to Maeil Business and Hankook Ilbo. [ 1 , 3 ]
The data also covered violations by developers, 215 in total. Of those, 205, or 95.3%, involved supplying leftover units — created by disqualified wins or contract forfeitures — directly to specific people instead of offering them sequentially to reserve applicants, Maeil Business reported. It added that developers currently notify only the Korea Real Estate Board of the list of disqualified-winner cancellations and do not submit contract ledgers or contract-forfeiture confirmations, making checks difficult at sites outside the government's inspection sample. [ 1 ]
Rep. Yoo said fraudulent subscriptions and the developers' discretionary allocation were “market-disturbing acts” that trample the hopes of young and asset-poor households waiting for a fair chance, and argued that hundreds of cases found in a sample check mean much more illegal activity is taking place where monitoring does not reach. [ 1 , 3 ]
Hankook Ilbo's headline gave the five-year total as 1,699 cases, while its article text and the other two outlets reported 1,669. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The data, compiled from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport by an opposition lawmaker, puts numbers on how far applicants will go to win a housing subscription in a market where points decide access. The low rate of completed cancellations and the absence of contract records from developers suggest the current inspection and follow-up system has gaps, a point the lawmaker made in calling for stronger oversight.
Key facts
- Between 2021 and June 2025, 1,669 fraudulent subscription cases were detected and referred for investigation across 350 private apartment complexes and 212,892 households, according to ministry data submitted to Rep. Yoo Sang-bum of the People Power Party. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Disguised address moves to increase the number of dependents accounted for 1,380 cases, or 82.7% of the total. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Under the private housing points system, dependents are worth 5 points each, from 5 points for none to 35 points for six or more. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Detected disguised address moves rose from 157 in 2021 to 491 in 2024, with 245 in the first half of 2025. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Other violation types were trading subscription accounts or eligibility (240 cases), fake marriage or divorce (47) and forgery or alteration of qualifications (2). [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Of 655 cases sent to prosecutors, 273 (41.1%) ended with a completed cancellation of a win or contract, 294 were in litigation and 55 were judged difficult to cancel, including because the winning right had already been resold. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Developer-side violations totalled 215 cases, of which 205 (95.3%) involved supplying leftover units directly to specific people instead of sequentially to reserve applicants. [ 1 ]
- Developers currently notify only the Korea Real Estate Board of disqualified-winner cancellations, without submitting contract ledgers or contract-forfeiture confirmations. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The inspection covered 350 private apartment complexes and 212,892 households from 2021 to June of last year, and 1,669 fraudulent cases were detected and referred for investigation. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Disguised address moves made up 1,380 cases, or 82.7% of the total. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Of the 655 cases sent to prosecutors, 273 resulted in a completed cancellation of a win or contract. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The data came from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport at the request of Rep. Yoo Sang-bum of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Whether any follow-up measures or system changes are planned by the ministry or the Korea Real Estate Board. The documents describe the oversight gap but do not report any planned response from the authorities.
- The total number of violations beyond the inspected sample. Rep. Yoo said the hundreds of cases found in a sample check mean more violations are likely in unmonitored sites, but the documents give no figure.
- The final outcome of the 294 cases still in litigation or trial, and of the 55 cases judged difficult to cancel. Only counts are given; the documents do not name parties or rulings.
- The total in Hankook Ilbo's headline. Hankook Ilbo's headline says 1,699 cases over five years while the article text, and the other two outlets, say 1,669.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Maeil Business publishes its report on the inspection data, including developer-side violations and the cancellation rate. [ 1 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo reports the same figures, citing the lawmaker's office and the ministry submission. [ 2 ]
- Hankook Ilbo publishes its version, with the case count at 1,699 in the headline and 1,669 in the text. [ 3 ]