SEOUL, May 2 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean government on Thursday announced a sweeping plan to manage the country’s growing number of vacant homes, aiming to turn more than 134,000 unused properties into assets that support regional revitalization and public safety. Unveiled during an economic policy meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance [...]
SEOUL, April 20 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of unsold new homes in South Korea has reached the highest level in 11 years and five months, data showed Sunday, due mainly to weak demand for new homes in provincial regions. There were 23,722 unsold new apartments nationwide as of the end of February, doubling from [...]
SEOUL, April 17, (Korea Bizwire) — In a significant move to stabilize the nation’s troubled real estate project financing (PF) market, South Korea’s National Assembly has approved a bill enabling Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) to engage not only in property investment but also in development and leasing projects. The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee’s [...]
SEOUL, April 9 (Korea Bizwire) — Household loans extended by South Korean banks rose for the second consecutive month in March, central bank data showed Wednesday, amid rising housing prices in the affluent districts of southern Seoul following state deregulatory moves. Banks’ outstanding household loans stood at 1,145 trillion won (US$774.12 billion) as of end-March, [...]
SEOUL, April 3 (Korea Bizwire) — Nearly half of all debts held by individuals and businesses in South Korea are real estate market-related loans, which may stymie economic growth and undermine financial stability, the central bank said Thursday. The country’s total real estate credit amounted to 1,932.5 trillion won (US$1.32 trillion) as of end-2024, accounting [...]
SEOUL, March 19 (Korea Bizwire) — Acting President Choi Sang-mok said Wednesday the government will use all available resources to curb the rise in home prices. Choi made the remarks in an economy-related ministers’ meeting, noting, “Home prices have been on a recent rise in some parts of Seoul.” “We will view the situation seriously [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Housing and Urban Guarantee Corporation (HUG) has introduced a stringent “one-strike-out” policy to immediately initiate foreclosure proceedings against foreign landlords who fail to return tenants’ rental (jeonse) deposits, aiming to curb financial risks associated with non-compliant property owners. HUG announced on Friday that the new measure, effective since [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — As South Korea’s once-booming commercial real estate sector faces a downturn, banks are seeing a sharp rise in lawsuits from borrowers seeking to void their debt obligations. Many of these legal disputes stem from investments in knowledge industry centers, a type of commercial property that had gained popularity as an [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — The popularity of commercial properties in South Korea’s auction market has waned significantly, with both successful bid rates and price ratios falling as businesses struggle with decreased sales during the economic downturn. According to data from GG Auction, a specialized auction data firm, Seoul saw 258 commercial property auctions from [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — In a sign of shifting market dynamics, new applications for reverse mortgages in South Korea increased while cancellations decreased as the real estate market showed signs of cooling at the end of last year. According to data from the Korea Housing Finance Corporation’s housing finance statistics system, new reverse mortgage [...]