"I Am a Natural Person" Popularity of Detached Houses in the Seoul Metropolitan Area

Completion of 240,000 Houses Nationwide Over 5 Years... 24.1% Concentrated in the Capital Area

Townhouse construction site in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi Province (Photo by Sangga Information Research Institute)

[Asia Economy Reporter Onyu Lim] Detached houses are gaining popularity, especially in the Seoul metropolitan area. According to the analysis by the Commercial Information Research Institute, this trend reflects the housing market's response to modern people's pursuit of eco-friendly lifestyles, including the baby boomer generation.

On the 18th, the Commercial Information Research Institute recently analyzed the nationwide completion records of detached houses from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. From 2015 to 2019, a total of 242,006 detached houses were completed nationwide. Among these, 58,349 units were completed in the Seoul metropolitan area, accounting for 24.1% of the total nationwide detached house completions.

Researcher Hyuntaek Cho of the Commercial Information Research Institute explained, "The concentration of detached house supply in the Seoul metropolitan area over the past five years coincides with the full-scale retirement of the baby boomer generation, who relatively prefer eco-friendly lifestyles, and the supply period of detached houses in new towns such as Dongtan, Hanam, and Dasan." He added, "Recently popular detached houses are located in areas close to urban centers with convenient living environments such as Namyangju, Gimpo, and Yongin. These block-type detached houses adjacent to urban areas, which combine the advantages of apartments with security facilities and cost-saving management features, are attracting attention."

The annual nationwide completion records of detached houses were ▲49,732 units in 2015 ▲50,773 units in 2016 ▲53,576 units in 2017 ▲47,469 units in 2018 ▲40,056 units in 2019. For the Seoul metropolitan area, the figures were ▲10,016 units in 2015 ▲11,061 units in 2016 ▲13,109 units in 2017 ▲13,057 units in 2018 ▲11,106 units in 2019.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's housing completion records refer to houses that have passed usage inspections and are ready for occupancy, serving as an indicator of housing supply trends.