Victim of 'villa king' found dead in residence

[YONHAP]

A woman in her 30s, one of the victims of a major real estate scam in Korea, was found dead in a residence in western Seoul, police said Thursday.

According to the police, the woman, identified by her surname Lee, was found in a residence in Mok-dong in Yangcheon District on Monday.

The police requested an autopsy of the body at the National Forensic Service.

Police said Lee is one of the victims who could not reclaim her jeonse deposit from a landlord referred to as the so-called villa king who owned some 1,139 homes. The landlord died last October.

Under the jeonse system, people can live rent-free for a fixed term in exchange for a massive deposit, which for cheaper properties can be close to the value of the units.

According to the police, Lee was living in a residence in Yangcheon District after signing a jeonse contract with the landlord last June. She paid 300 million won ($227,000) as a rental deposit.

The Seoul Metropolitan Agency has been investigating the scam and the potential accomplices connected to the deceased landlord since last October.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]