Translating into Español. The English version is shown until it is ready.
Seoul villa tied to actress Seo Hyun-jin's 2.6bn-won jeonse deposit goes to auction
En breve
A multi-household villa in Seoul's Cheongdam-dong where actress Seo Hyun-jin lived under a jeonse lease was put up for auction on Oct 6 with a minimum bid of about 1.47 billion won, roughly half its appraised value of about 2.87 billion won. Seo paid a deposit of 2.625 billion won that the landlord did not return when the contract ended in April 2024, and the auction resumed after the landlord was declared bankrupt. Whether the sale proceeds will cover the full deposit is uncertain, the reports said.
Leer la noticia completa 2 min de lectura
A 117.79-square-metre multi-household house in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where actress Seo Hyun-jin lived under a jeonse lease, was put up for auction on Oct 6 with a minimum bid of 1,471,290,000 won, Maeil Business and Newsis reported. Both outlets said that is about half the appraised value of 2,873,630,000 won recorded for the property. [ 1 , 3 ]
Seo signed the lease in 2020 with a deposit of 2.5 billion won and, on renewing in 2022, added 12.5 million won for a total of 2,625,000,000 won, according to the two reports. Newsis said she set up a jeonse right on the property under the 2020 contract. When the contract ended in April 2024 the landlord did not return the deposit, and Seo completed a leasehold registration in September 2024 before moving out, the outlets said. Maeil Business described the registration as a device that lets a tenant who has not been repaid keep the opposing power and priority repayment rights from the original lease. Seo then applied for a forced auction; Newsis reported that the court decided to commence it in April 2025. [ 1 , 3 ]
The property drew no bidders and failed to sell three times, pushing the minimum bid down to the 1.4 billion won range. In July 2025 the landlord sought rehabilitation and obtained a stay of enforcement, halting the auction; in December 2025 the landlord was declared bankrupt, and the process resumed at the minimum bid that had been set when it stopped, according to both outlets. Newsis reported that the sale decision date is set for Oct 13. [ 1 , 3 ]
Whether Seo recovers the full 2,625,000,000 won is uncertain. Both outlets said the amount recovered depends on the winning bid, the rights registered on the property, senior and statutorily priority claims and auction costs, and that any shortfall would remain a claim against the landlord, who is already bankrupt. Maeil Business noted that Seo holds a senior right on the register, which both outlets said could allow her to seek a share in the distribution. [ 1 , 3 ]
Korea Economic Daily carried the case only in a headline warning that Seo stands to lose the roughly 2.6 billion won; its readable article text did not describe the case, and no document identifies the landlord. Maeil Business also reported that Seo is due to return to television in MBC's drama “Liar”, which premieres on Oct 30. [ 1 , 2 ]
Por qué importa
The case draws attention to the risk tenants carry in Korea's jeonse deposit system when a landlord becomes insolvent, and it is being widely noticed because the tenant is a well-known actress. How much is recovered will turn on the winning bid and the ranking of claims against the property, with any shortfall left as a claim against a landlord who is already bankrupt.
Datos clave
- A 117.79-square-metre multi-household house in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where actress Seo Hyun-jin lived under jeonse, was put up for auction on Oct 6. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The minimum bid was set at 1,471,290,000 won, about half the appraised value of 2,873,630,000 won. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Seo signed the lease in 2020 with a 2.5 billion won deposit and raised it by 12.5 million won on renewal in 2022, to 2,625,000,000 won in total. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The contract ended in April 2024 without the deposit being returned; Seo completed a leasehold registration in September 2024 and moved out. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The property failed to sell three times before the auction was halted in July 2025 by the landlord's rehabilitation filing and then resumed after the landlord was declared bankrupt in December 2025. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The sale decision date is set for Oct 13, according to Newsis. [ 3 ]
- Whether the full 2,625,000,000 won deposit can be recovered is uncertain and depends on the winning bid, registered rights and priority claims, the outlets said. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Maeil Business reported that Seo is scheduled to return in MBC's drama “Liar”, which premieres on Oct 30. [ 1 ]
Confirmado por varias fuentes
- The villa in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, was put up for auction on Oct 6 with a minimum bid of 1,471,290,000 won. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The appraised value of the property was 2,873,630,000 won. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Seo Hyun-jin's jeonse deposit for the property totalled 2,625,000,000 won. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The auction was suspended when the landlord sought rehabilitation and resumed after the landlord was declared bankrupt. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Recovery of the deposit in full is not assured and depends on the sale outcome and the claims registered against the property. [ 1 , 3 ]
Aún sin aclarar
- How much of the 2,625,000,000 won deposit Seo will actually recover. Both outlets say the amount depends on the winning bid, senior rights, statutory priority claims and auction costs, none of which are known yet.
- The identity of the landlord. The Korea Economic Daily headline says the landlord “turns out to be” someone notable, but its readable text does not identify the landlord, and neither of the other documents names the landlord.
- Whether bidders will appear at this auction and at what price the property will sell. The reports describe three previous failed bids and call the outcome a key variable, but do not predict a sale price.
Qué dicen los medios locales
Cronología, hora local
- Maeil Business reports that the Cheongdam-dong villa was put up for auction that day with a minimum bid of 1,471,290,000 won, and that the auction restarted after the landlord's bankruptcy. [ 1 ]
- Korea Economic Daily publishes a headline saying Seo Hyun-jin faces losing about 2.6 billion won on the Cheongdam-dong jeonse property, with no readable case details in its article text. [ 2 ]
- Newsis reports that the auction resumed after the landlord's bankruptcy and that the sale decision date is scheduled for Oct 13. [ 3 ]