SEOUL, Dec. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — Seoul’s luxury housing market posted one of the world’s sharpest price increases over the past year, rising more than 25 percent and ranking second among major global cities, according to new data released Tuesday. In its latest Prime Global Cities Index, British property consultancy Knight Frank reported that prices for [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s construction downturn is continuing to weigh heavily on the nation’s banks, with major lenders reporting persistently high levels of bad loans tied to the troubled sector. According to third-quarter disclosures released on Wednesday, the country’s five major banks — KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, Woori and NH NongHyup — [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s real estate slowdown has pushed the number of active licensed realtors below 110,000 for the first time in more than five years, as prolonged policy tightening and weak housing demand reshape the industry. According to data released Wednesday by the Korea Association of Realtors, 109,979 real estate agents [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean construction and engineering companies will explore potential collaboration opportunities with multilateral development banks (MDBs) for overseas infrastructure development projects, officials said Tuesday. Some 100 Korean firms are set to attend the two-day 2025 MDB Project Plaza event, which will run through Wednesday in Seoul to introduce MDBs’ [...]
SEJONG, Nov. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s housing wealth gap continued to widen last year as expensive homes climbed further in value while lower-priced properties lost ground, according to new government data released Friday. The National Data Office said the price difference between the top 10 percent and bottom 10 percent of homes ballooned to [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Korea Bizwire) – Government officials discussed Friday ways to supply public housing in the greater Seoul area through the use of idle state-owned land in order to meet the growing need for new homes in the capital region, according to the finance ministry. The meeting, attended by officials from relevant ministries and [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — Relying too heavily on construction investment to stimulate South Korea’s economy could backfire, the Bank of Korea cautioned in a new report, citing Japan’s decades-long struggle with sluggish growth after its asset bubble burst. In a study released Sunday titled “Lessons from Japan and China’s Prolonged Weakness in Construction Investment,” [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Korea Bizwire) – The country’s chief financial regulator said Monday that financial authorities are ready to take additional measures, if needed, to rein in soaring household debt. During a parliamentary audit, Lee Eog-weon, the chairman of the Financial Services Commission (FSC), said his agency is taking preemptive measures to secure financial stability. [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — Household lending in South Korea grew at its slowest pace in six months in September, new data showed Thursday, as tougher regulations and seasonal factors cooled borrowing amid renewed efforts to rein in housing prices and rising household debt. According to the Bank of Korea, household loans extended by banks [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s top policy aide to President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday that the government is considering a comprehensive overhaul of real estate taxation — including possible hikes in property holding taxes — as it moves to rein in surging home prices in Seoul and surrounding regions. Kim Yong-beom, the [...]