Comedian Jung Jun Ha takes legal action to stop auction of his 3-billion-won Gangnam apartment.

On December 3rd KST, it was reported that comedian Jung Jun Ha filed a legal objection and an application to suspend the enforcement of an auction involving his 3-billion-won (approximately 2.1 million USD) apartment in Gangnam. According to Jung’s side, the auction was not due to a failure to repay his debt but was triggered by an unreasonable claim for delayed interest.

Jung Jun Ha borrowed 200 million won from a liquor distribution company in November 2018 to open a new restaurant. The loan was interest-free for 40 months, and he repaid 5 million won monthly for two years starting January 2019. However, the COVID-19 pandemic made business operations difficult, leading Jung to request a 25-month deferment from 2021 to 2023. By the end of June this year, he repaid the full amount but soon faced an auction notice. Upon reviewing the court documents, Jung discovered that the promissory note included a 24% annual delayed interest rate, which he claims was set without his knowledge. In response, he initiated legal proceedings.

In an interview, Jung explained the situation, saying, “If I had known about the delayed interest, I would have paid it immediately. It’s not that I couldn’t afford it, but I couldn’t agree to an unreasonable demand, which is why I filed a lawsuit.”

Previously, on December 2nd, reports from the real estate industry revealed that the Seoul Central District Court had initiated a forced auction on Jung’s property in Samsung-dong this July. The apartment, jointly owned by Jung and his father since 2005, is currently valued at 3.6 to 3.7 billion won. The creditor, a liquor wholesale company, claims that Jung owes them approximately 230 million won.

Jung Jun Ha debuted in 1994 through MBC’s 'Theme Theater' and rose to fame in 2003 with his comedic role in 'No Brain Survivor', a segment on MBC’s 'Sunday Night'. He further solidified his popularity on MBC’s 'Infinite Challenge'. In 2012, he married a Japanese-Korean woman and has a son.

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