3,565 Caught in Real Estate Crime Crackdown... Police to Focus on "Collusion to Drive Up Housing Prices" and More

Number of people caught for farmland speculation up 40% from first crackdown
Illegal brokerage offenses to be broken down; third crackdown to intensify

Police uncovered more than 3,500 people in a yearlong special crackdown on real estate crimes. The number of people caught in the second round of the crackdown rose by nearly 40% from the first, with the number of cases involving farmland speculation more than doubling. Police plan to extend the crackdown and focus their investigations on disruptive practices such as price-fixing agreements and inflating reported transaction prices.

National Office of Investigation at the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Reporter Kang Jinhyung

The National Office of Investigation at the Korean National Police Agency said on November 10 that it had caught 3,565 people in the first and second rounds of a special crackdown on real estate crimes from October 2025 to October 2026, and referred 2,151 people, including 16 who were arrested, to prosecutors. The first round ran from October 2025 to March 2026, and the second continued through October 2026. The number of people caught in the second round was up 38.8% from the first. By type of offense, cases involving farmland speculation recorded the largest increase, at 106.5%.

Across the two rounds, farmland speculation accounted for the largest share, with 898 people (25.2%), followed by 795 for disrupting the supply system, 726 for illegal brokerage, including inflating housing prices, 616 for offenses such as title trusts, and 353 for redevelopment-related corruption.

The special crackdown not only increased the number of people caught; it also led to the preservation of criminal proceeds worth a total of 14.79 billion won for confiscation or collection before indictment. Authorities notified relevant agencies about 616 people so that appropriate administrative measures could be taken. Depending on the violation, sanctions included restrictions on housing subscriptions and suspension of real estate agent licenses.

Police plan to continue with a third special crackdown starting November 1, under the direction of "No Letup in Crackdowns, No Exceptions in Strict Punishment." The third round, which will run through October 2027, will divide the offense categories into 10, up from eight, to improve investigative efficiency. Illegal brokerage will be broken out into separate categories, including price-fixing agreements and inflating reported transaction prices.

Hong Seokgi, head of the National Office of Investigation, said, "Illegal real estate activities are serious crimes that threaten people's housing stability and undermine fairness in the market. In the third special crackdown, we will focus our investigations even more on price-fixing agreements that deprive people of the chance to own a home and drive up prices, inflating reported transaction prices, and fraudulent housing subscription practices."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.