Fifty-six gym members have filed a collective police complaint against a fitness center representative who allegedly collected advance payments for gym memberships and disappeared after suspending operations, claiming damages totaling approximately 56 million won.

The Naju Police Station in Jeollanam-do announced yesterday (July 27) that it has received complaint documents accusing the gym representative of fraud from 56 members and is currently investigating the case.

The complaints state that the business induced customers to make advance payments for long-term memberships and personal training (PT) sessions by promoting a large-scale expansion, relocation, and discount events before halting operations.

The individual damages claimed by the complainants range from several hundred thousand won to a maximum of 4 million won per person, with total damages estimated to reach around 56 million won.

The gym in question opened in May 2023 and had been operating on a scale of approximately 150 pyeong.

In a group chat room with about 200 victims participating, members are reportedly sharing payment records and preparing collective civil and criminal lawsuits.

Based on the contents of the complaints, police plan to investigate the circumstances surrounding the members' advance payments and the operational status of the gym.

(Photo: Capture from Yonhap News TV, Yonhap News)