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 [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing number of disputes over public access and shared resources are flaring up among apartment complexes in Seoul’s affluent Gangnam area, reflecting what some sociologists call an “urban tribalism” fueled by skyrocketing property values. In Gangdong District, residents of the 4,066-unit Godeok Arteon complex voted late last month to [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Samsung C&T has taken a tangible step toward reimagining urban housing with the completion of a “Next Home” test bed in Yongin, south of Seoul. The three-story, 554-square-meter facility showcases technologies designed to break away from the rigid apartment layouts that have long dominated South Korea’s housing market. Instead, [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — With more than one in four South Korean households now raising a pet, real estate developers are racing to appeal to so-called “pet families” by building apartments with dedicated pet-friendly amenities. According to data released Thursday by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, 28.6 percent of households [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea moved to curb speculative demand from overseas buyers on Thursday, designating nearly all of the greater Seoul area as a restricted zone for foreign land transactions. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that Seoul, 23 municipalities in Gyeonggi Province, and seven districts in Incheon will [...]
SEOUL, August 1 (Korea Bizwire) — After a prolonged slump, South Korea’s commercial real estate market—including officetels and small buildings—is showing tentative signs of recovery following a recent easing of lending regulations. The government’s June 27 financial policy placed a 600 million won ($460,000) cap on home mortgage loans, but left commercial properties such as [...]
BUSAN, July 21 (Korea Bizwire) — As housing market polarization between metropolitan and regional areas intensifies, Busan is witnessing a stark internal divide in apartment prices, with the gap between its highest- and lowest-priced units reaching a record high over the past decade. According to data from KB Real Estate analyzed by real estate platform Budongsan [...]
SEOUL, July 14 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s financial authorities are preparing a sweeping overhaul of capital regulations to curb excessive bank lending in real estate and steer financial resources toward high-growth industries like artificial intelligence and biotechnology. According to industry officials on July 13, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) is reviewing plans to raise [...]