Over 3,500 exposed in special crackdown on real estate crimes: police

The Korea Times - Nov 10, 2026

Police have found 3,565 people suspected of committing real estate-related crimes, with over 2,100 of them referred to the prosecution and 16 formally arrested, police officials said Tuesday. Following its yearlong special crackdown on such crimes that began October 2025, the police referred 2,151 to prosecutors on various charges, including fixing or inflating home prices, and applying for and winning new apartment purchases through fraudulent means, according to the officials. The special crackdown has been extended by one year to the end of October 2027, they said, amid continued government efforts to curb runaway housing prices. Of those exposed in the crackdown, farmland speculation accounted for the largest share at 25.2 percent, or 898 people, followed by 795 people who allegedly used fraudulent means in apartment applications and 726 accused of illegal brokering, such as inflating home prices. Police have frozen 14.79 billion won ($11.02 million) in illegal profits even before formal indictments and notified relevant authorities about 616 people so that punitive administrative ac

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