When a home caught up in jeonse fraud goes to auction, the victim does not have to just wait. Article 17 of the Special Act on Support for Jeonse Fraud Victims lets a victim ask the court to defer or suspend the auction — holding off on setting a sale date, or cancelling or changing one already set — for up to 1 year from the day after the deferral or suspension. Article 20 lets the victim, by the sale date, lodge security and declare a priority purchase at the same price as the highest bid, and the court must then grant the sale to the victim. The calculator gives the latest end of the deferral and the split when two victims buy together.
1. Deferral lasts up to 1 year from the day after — the court may extend it if the reason remains.
2. Priority purchase: by the sale date, at the highest bid — or the minimum sale price if there is no bid.
3. Several victims buy in proportion to the deposits they can recover, unless they agree otherwise.
Calculator
Updates as you type. A deferral lasts up to 1 year from the day after it starts (Art. 17(4)); we count the year by the Civil Act (the day before the matching date; if none, the month’s last day). The split follows the share of deposits each victim can recover, unless they agree otherwise (Art. 20(3)); rounding down to 10,000 won is ours.
Deferral and suspension — Article 17
| Type | What the source says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Application (1) | If an auction under Civil Execution Act Arts. 78 or 264 (or a sale in rehabilitation or bankruptcy) is under way, the victim may ask the court to hold off setting a sale date, or cancel or change one | The applicant is a decided victim |
| Ministry request (2) | The Minister may ask the court to cooperate after a committee resolution, or in an urgent case such as a sale date before the committee meets | An urgent request must go to the next committee (5) |
| Court decision (3) | Despite Civil Execution Act Art. 104, the court may decide on a deferral if the victim (including an applicant) risks livelihood or housing, weighing both sides’ circumstances | “May” — the court’s discretion |
| Length (4) | Within 1 year from the day after the deferral or suspension; the court may extend it of its own motion or on the victim’s application if the reason remains | 1 year is the cap; the number of extensions is not stated |
The bracket in (3) matters: someone who has only applied for a decision is also covered. If a sale date comes before the decision, the Minister’s urgent request under (2)2 is the route (our reading).
Priority purchase — Article 20
| Type | What the source says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Declaration (1) | At auction the victim may, by the sale date, lodge the security under Civil Execution Act Art. 113 and declare a priority purchase at the highest bid price; with no bid, at the minimum sale price under Art. 97 | The security amount is not in this article |
| Grant (2) | On a declaration the court must grant the sale to the victim | Wording amended 12 May 2026 |
| Several victims (3) | If several victims declare and complete the steps, they buy in proportion to the deposits each can recover, unless specially agreed | The calculator splits on this ratio |
| Highest bidder (4) | The highest bidder is treated as the next-ranked bidder under Civil Execution Act Art. 114 | — |
Three sums — our example
| Case (our example) | Result | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Deferred on 26 October 2026 | Until 26 October 2027 at most | Day one is 27 October |
| Deferred on 28 February 2028 | Until 28 February 2029 at most | Day one is 29 February; no such day next year, so the month’s last day |
| Highest bid 300 million; A 200 million, B 100 million | A 200 million · B 100 million won | Ratio 2 : 1 unless they agree otherwise |
The article only says “within 1 year from the day after”; counting the year by Civil Act Arts. 157 and 160 is our method. Follow the dates in the court’s decision.
In order
- Apply for a victim decision (see jeonse fraud victim checker).
- If an auction is under way, ask the court for a deferral, or get the Minister’s request.
- During the deferral decide whether to buy the home; if so, lodge security and declare by the sale date.
- If several tenants declare, check the ratio split or your agreement.
Checklist
- ☐ Auction case number and next sale date
- ☐ The period and end date in the deferral decision
- ☐ Security ready by the sale date for a priority purchase
- ☐ Any agreement with other victims in the same building
- ☐ Applied within the Act’s life (4 years from 1 June 2023)
Questions that remain
Is the home sold as soon as the deferral ends?
The article says only that the court may extend it if the reason remains; after that the Civil Execution Act applies.
How much is the security?
Article 20 just refers to “the security under Civil Execution Act Art. 113”. We did not read that Act this time; ask the auction court.
Does this cover public sales for tax arrears?
We set out only Articles 17 and 20 on auctions. Public sales for national or local tax arrears are in Articles 18 and 19, which we did not read.
Sources
- Korean law database (law.go.kr) — Special Act on Support for Jeonse Fraud Victims Arts. 17, 20 and Addenda — source (current text, effective 2 October 2026, Act No. 21490; checked 26 October 2026). Deferral application, the Minister’s request, court decision (including applicants), within 1 year from the next day, extension, reporting urgent requests; priority purchase (highest bid or minimum price), grant, ratio among victims, next-ranked bidder; Addenda validity and transition.
- Not read. Civil Execution Act Arts. 78, 97, 104, 113, 114; Arts. 18–19 (public sales); case law.
- What we added. The “worth noting” column and the Korean everyday gloss.
Where to check further
- The auction court — deferral, sale dates, security.
- The ministry and regional jeonse damage support centres — urgent requests.
Written on 26 October 2026. The content is from the source; the glosses are ours.
