A claim has emerged that Supreme Court justice nominee Kim Seong-su lived in an apartment in Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, that his brother-in-law had rented on a jeonse lease, by taking a sublease (sub-jeonse) at a below-market deposit and then failed to pay the agreed 800,000 won per month for nearly three years.
Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party said on the 4th that regarding the 43-pyeong Dogok Rexle apartment where Kim lives, "Kim did not even properly pay the 800,000 won per month that he agreed to pay in lieu of the deposit difference."
According to Joo, from February 2011 to June 2021 for 10 years, Kim lived on a jeonse lease in a 25-pyeong apartment at Yeoksam e-Pyeonhansesang in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, owned by his brother-in-law. The reported lease deposit was 350 million won.
In June 2021, Kim moved to a 43-pyeong Dogok Rexle apartment in Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. After his brother-in-law, a former CEO of a well-known game company, signed a jeonse contract in the 1.5 billion won range, he subleased it to Kim with a lease deposit of 350 million won. Joo said it is understood that Kim agreed to pay his brother-in-law 800,000 won per month in the nature of monthly rent.
Joo said, "In the account transaction records submitted by Kim as proof of payment, there has been no additional payment at all since 1.6 million won on Nov. 2, 2023," adding, "From November 2023 to August 2026, he did not pay 800,000 won per month for 34 months."
He added, "A new sublease contract drawn up in 2025 also requires payment of 800,000 won per month, but payments did not resume." The total amount Kim failed to pay his brother-in-law is 27.2 million won.
Kim's side, addressing the suspicions related to the sub-jeonse residence, explained, "We paid the promised money for a considerable period, but due to circumstances, some payments were not made," and "We have always regarded the unpaid money as debt." They continued, "We feel sorry toward the brother-in-law," and said, "We will work to settle this promptly."