A, who operates a real estate agency in Songdo International City, Incheon, won a complete victory in court regarding the incident in which he was expelled from the 'Songdo International City Real Estate Association' (Songdo Association), a local real estate organization.
Real estate agent A was expelled from the Songdo Association because his family promoted commission discounts without joining the association while opening a real estate agency in the Songdo area. The association also confiscated the membership fee of 10 million won.
According to A, the Songdo Association expelled him based on false claims when his family opened a real estate office as a non-member in the same area. A stated that the association failed to submit evidence regarding the grounds for his expulsion during the trial process.
The Songdo Association is the largest single real estate association in the country with over 500 member real estate offices.
A filed a lawsuit for 'confirmation of invalidation of expulsion' at the Incheon District Court, and the court ruled in favor of A, annulling the expulsion.
Previously, a court sentenced members of the 'Garak Association' in Songpa District, Seoul, to prison for collusion among real estate agents. The Garak Association is a membership organization formed by real estate agents in a specific apartment complex.
According to the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office, as of Jan. 10 last year, the Garak Association operated by refusing joint brokerage requests from non-members and demanding a membership fee of up to 30 million won from new members, imposing fines for violations of its rules.
As a result, the appellate court sentenced the president of the Garak Association, B, to 8 months in prison and legal detention in December 2023, while two others received 4 months in prison with a 1-year suspended sentence, and one person was fined 5 million won. This marked the first case of imprisonment for violating the Real Estate Agents Act.