The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on the 4th that it held three full meetings of the charter fraud damage support committee during February (Feb. 4, Feb. 11, and Feb. 20), reviewed 1,163 cases, and finally approved a total of 501 cases as charter fraud victims, etc.
Of the 501 approvals, 478 were new applications (including reapplications). The remaining 23 were decided as charter fraud victims and related parties after appeals were filed against prior decisions and additional confirmation was made on whether they met the requirements for charter fraud victims under Article 3 of the Charter Fraud Victims Act.
Of the remaining 662 cases, 406 were rejected for failing to meet the requirements. Another 137 were excluded from application because the full deposit could be returned through guarantee insurance and preferential repayment, etc. In addition, 119 appeals were dismissed as they were still deemed not to meet the requirements.
To date, the committee has finalized a cumulative total of 36,950 cases as charter fraud victims, etc., and issued a cumulative total of 1,108 requests for cooperation in urgent suspension of public and private auctions. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is providing a cumulative total of 59,655 cases of support to the decided victims and others, including housing, finance, and legal procedures.
Accordingly, the current recognition rate of victims by the committee is 62.2%, and 21.3% were rejected for failing to meet the requirements. Another 9.8% were excluded because they could recover their deposits through charter deposit return guarantees, preferential repayment, or auctions.
Tenants who were not recognized as charter fraud victims and were either not recognized or classified as charter fraud victims, etc., may file an appeal under Article 15 of the Charter Fraud Victims Act. Even if an appeal is dismissed, they may reapply upon subsequent changes in relevant circumstances and be decided as charter fraud victims.
As of Feb. 24, the Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH) had purchased 6,475 units of charter fraud-affected dwellings. Since the launch of the new administration in June last year, it purchased 5,714 units (88% of total purchases), and the pace of purchases has been rising rapidly. Specifically, it purchased a total of 90 units in 2024; a monthly average of 163 units in the first half of 2025 (a total of 977 units); a monthly average of 655 units in the second half of 2025 (a total of 3,930 units); and a monthly average of 739 units in Jan.–Feb. 2026.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and LH are conducting purchase review meetings and a fast-track process to expedite the purchase of dwellings affected by charter fraud. They plan to continue consultations with district courts on proceeding with auctions to facilitate smooth purchases of affected dwellings and support housing stability.
Tenants struggling due to charter fraud may apply for victim determination to the city or province with jurisdiction over their residence. Those determined to be victims through the committee's resolution can receive detailed guidance on support measures through the Korea Housing & Urban Guarantee Corporation (HUG) charter fraud support center (in person or by phone) and its branches (in person).