Rain Is Accused Of Real Estate Fraud After Selling $6.3M Mansion; Idol Denies Claims

Jung Jihoon — professionally known as Rain — might face a legal battle after being accused of real estate fraud in South Korea.

Local media outlet Money Today reported Monday that an unidentified accuser filed a complaint against the 41-year-old veteran entertainer through legal representatives from Seobuk Law Firm — namely Kim Doo-jin and Jang Jeong-hoon. The report, filed at Seoul's Yongsan Police Station last month, accused Rain of embezzling KRW 8.5 billion ($6.35 million) in real estate transaction fees.

The accuser, labeled as "A," and Rain reportedly interacted in May last year after the latter showed intention to purchase properties sold by the former located in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi. "A" then offered his land and building for KRW 25 billion ($18.6 million).

Rain, however, suggested that the accuser purchase his house in a popular neighborhood in Seoul called Itaewon to raise funds. The latter accepted and instantly bought the house for KRW 8.5 billion. Meanwhile, the "Rainism" hitmaker purchased "A's" property in July under the name of his father's company, Mega Big Entertainment.

"A" allegedly bought the house without seeing it in person but was sent pictures of the home. The real estate company administering the home claimed that Rain's wife, Kim Tae-hee, was still in the house and that because he was a celebrity, the singer refused to "make (the sale) public."

"A" alleged that Rain's house looked different in person compared to the photos sent in both the interior and exterior. Some of the differences alleged were that there was no outdoor swimming pool as seen in the photos, the exterior had a different design, the interior was torn off, and there was still existing graffiti.

"Rain used the fact that he is a popular celebrity to refuse to disclose the real estate in this case under the pretext that his privacy was being invaded, and he lied about its status and value," the legal representative of "A" said, adding that he still has not recovered from the "economic damage" from the purchase.

Following the report, Rain's company — his self-titled entertainment agency — released an official statement addressing the claims. Per Newsen, it claimed that no complaint was received and debunked "A's" allegations.

"The [buyer] is going too far in criticizing the seller simply because he is a celebrity. Even from common sense, it is absurd to say that he purchased a house worth several billion won just by looking at the photos, and only a copy of the register or building ledger that is provided or confirmed when buying or selling real estate is not used," the company said.

It added, "Even if you look at it, the buyer's claim is not correct, and you can confirm it just by looking at the exterior of the house from the outside. Also, you can see the exterior by just looking at the address on the internet."

The representative from RAIN COMPANY also said that they had all the evidence to prove that the allegations were false and that they would submit them per the law. They would also take legal action against those who took "advantage" of Rain's celebrity status and engaged in such malicious actions.