Support navigator · F6

The help you're actually eligible for.

Korea has real support for renters and fraud victims — but foreigners are often quietly left out, and nothing tells you which is which. Ondol documents each program's foreigner eligibility, with the official source and the date we last reviewed it.

Information, not legal advice. Programs change often and vary by municipality and visa status. Always confirm with the official source linked on each card — or call 1345 (free, 20+ languages) — before acting.

Conditional — read the notes

Open in principle, with visa, registration, or income conditions.

Legal

Jeonse-fraud victim recognition (Special Act)

전세사기피해자 결정 신청 (특별법) · Ministry of Land (MOLIT)

Official recognition as a jeonse-fraud victim under the Special Act — the key that unlocks other remedies. Core requirements: move-in registration with a fixed-date stamp and a deposit of ₩500M or less (raised to as much as ₩700M, with the old 85㎡ size cap removed, in the 2026 amendment). The 2026 amendment also added a "minimum guarantee": if an auction returns you less than one-third of your deposit, the state covers the shortfall (in force from around November 2026). Apply online via the government victim-support system or through your city/province desk.

For foreigners

Foreigners can be recognized as victims on the same terms as nationals (foreigners are about 1.4% of recognized victims), and recognition opens emergency housing (below). But the two biggest remedies tied to recognition — LH buy-out public rental and Housing & Urban Fund loans — still exclude foreigners, because that fund is reserved by law for Korean nationals; the 2026 amendment did not change this. Whether the new minimum-guarantee payout reaches foreign victims is not yet spelled out — confirm with the support center (1533-8119). The Special Act runs until 2027-05-31; those recognized, or who applied, before then stay covered afterward.

1533-8119 (via support center)Official page

SOURCEjeonse.kgeop.go.kr · REVIEWED 2026·07·21

Legal

Korea Legal Aid Corporation — free legal aid

대한법률구조공단 무료 법률구조 · Korea Legal Aid Corporation (KLAC)

Free or subsidized legal counseling and litigation support, including deposit-return lawsuits against landlords. Nationwide offices and a legal hotline (dial 132, no area code). Consultation itself is free for everyone.

For foreigners

KLAC's own materials state legal aid serves 'all nationals and foreigners residing in Korea'. Free litigation support depends on the case type and income — e.g. foreign workers with wage claims (monthly income ≤ ₩2M) and foreign crime victims (≤ 125% of median income) qualify for free representation.

SOURCEwww.klac.or.kr · REVIEWED 2026·07·21

Methodevery entry cites its official source (government or public-agency page) and shows when we last reviewed it. If we can't cite it, we don't list it. Spotted a change? The rules move faster than any database — the source link always wins.