A Man in His 60s from a Vulnerable Group Became a Public Rental Housing Tenant for 1.5 Million Won, But Was Ultimately Just an Accomplice

[Financial News] A man in his 60s who conspired with a broker to obtain public rental housing has been fined.
According to legal sources on the 9th, the Seoul Northern District Court’s Criminal Division 4 (Judge Chang-Yeol Lee) sentenced Mr. A (67), who was indicted on charges of violating the Special Act on Public Housing, the Resident Registration Act, and fraud, to a fine of 5 million won on the 12th of last month.
Mr. A was brought to trial for conspiring with a broker to unlawfully obtain public rental housing from the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH).
In 2021, Mr. A received a proposal from broker Mr. B, who said, "If you pay 1.5 million won, I will find you a gosiwon and help you receive public rental housing from LH."
LH operates a public rental housing program in which low-income residents living in urban areas, after qualifying for public rental housing, can select a desired residence and LH signs a jeonse contract to sublease it at an affordable rate. The program targets vulnerable groups who have lived for more than three months in substandard conditions such as small rooms, gosiwons, or inns.
Mr. A transferred 1.5 million won to Mr. B and followed his instructions. He falsely registered his address in Anyang-si and deceived a community center official into believing he had lived in a gosiwon for over three months as a member of a vulnerable group. He was subsequently certified as such by the local authorities.
Deceived by this, LH selected Mr. A as a public rental housing tenant. In January 2022, Mr. A received public rental housing in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul.
The court explained its sentencing, stating, "This act deprived legitimate applicants—economically disadvantaged individuals who meet the requirements for public rental housing—of their opportunity for housing. The defendant’s actions are highly blameworthy and of poor character."
However, the court also considered as mitigating factors that Mr. A generally admitted the facts during the investigation and that, as a genuinely economically vulnerable person, he appeared to have followed the broker’s lead.
jyseo@fnnews.com Seo Ji-yoon Reporter